


Canaries

by allweseeislight



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 06:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allweseeislight/pseuds/allweseeislight
Summary: AU of Arrow set in high school. The particle accelerator goes off when Oliver, Laurel and Tommy are 17, Sara is 15, and Felicity is 13. Laurel and Sara are both in Central City when the accelerator explodes, giving Laurel a cry and Sara flying abilities. They both take up a Canary mantle, unbeknownst to the other sister. Quentin and Donna are married, as Dinah and Quentin divorced when the girls were 12 and 10. Felicity is really smart and skipped kindergarten and eighth grade, so she’s in the same grade as Sara. Laurel feels protective over Felicity, while Sara dislikes her.Sara ends up asking for Felicity to help her with her new status, while Laurel hides the truth from Tommy and Oliver and goes off on her own. She ends up at STAR Labs where they meet Harrison Wells, Dr. Ramon, his son Cisco, and Cisco’s friends Barry and Caitlin. Dr. Ramon fashions the Canary Cry for Laurel. Sara and Felicity meet Nyssa Al Ghul, a 17 year old trained fighter, who gifts Sara with her batons, and has a romantic interest in her that Sara doesn’t realize. While they think they are working separate battles, little do they know that there is a plot to destroy the city, and it will take all of them to stop it.
Relationships: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance
Comments: 29
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

It was a warm day in August, and it doubled as the last day of Summer Vacation. Soon all the kids in Starling City would be going back to school. Laurel Lance loved school. She fit in with the smart kids since she was at the top of her class, and she fit in with the cool kids since she was friends with Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn. She was going to be a junior at Starling Academy starting this year, and while most kids dreaded this year, she was excited. Laurel loved a challenge, and junior year was just that. Though between AP classes, student council, convincing the boys to study not party, and taking care of her sisters, she’d be really busy.

“But Dad that’s not fair!” came a whiny voice from downstairs that made Laurel roll her eyes. Speaking of sisters. Laurel went downstairs to find her sister arguing with their dad, Quentin.

“What’s going on?” Laurel asked.

“Nothing sweetheart,” their dad said, “Your sister just has this crazy idea that I was gonna let her go all the way to Central City, on a school night, at this hour, to go hang gliding.”

“Seriously, you’re going to that?” It was a Starling Academy tradition where all new freshmen went to the best beach in Central City to go gliding to “celebrate youth” or whatever. Laurel had gone two years ago because she’d been staying with their mom Dinah that weekend. Dinah had moved to Central City five years ago. She was married to a new guy, and he was alright. Her dad remarried as well. A woman named Donna Smoak. Laurel liked Donna. She was nice. They’d gotten married three years ago, and Donna and her daughter Felicity had moved in.

“Why can’t I? Laurel got to go!” Sara exclaimed.

“I was in town! And staying with Mom,” she added quietly. Quentin was a detective, and he’d seen enough bad things on the job to be incredibly overprotective. Dinah was a teacher, and was way more laid back. Then again, all parents were.

“Exactly,” Quentin said, “Now I’ve got to go into work so-”

“At this hour?” Sara asked in a mocking tone. Quentin sighed and said, “I’m going to work. Donna’s in charge. I’ll be back in an hour or two.” As he turned around to leave, Laurel didn’t miss the smirk on Sara’s face. Of course she could go if Donna was in charge.

“Bye girls,” he said, and they both responded with, “Bye Dad!” After he was gone, Sara went, “I’m gonna go change. Be back in a few hours!” Laurel took her arm before she could leave and said, “You’re gonna get caught. It’s not worth it.”

“I don’t get caught,” Sara said before going upstairs. Laurel frowned at her sister’s retreating form but didn’t say anything.

“Where is she going?” came a voice from behind. Laurel turned around and saw her step sister Felicity. She was only 13 years old, but she was also gonna be a freshman with Sara. She’d skipped two grades.

“Nowhere,” Laurel said, “Are you going to that thing in Central City?”

“What thing?” Felicity asked. Of course she didn’t know. She was new in the city, originally from Vegas. She didn’t have many friends, or any, and she doubted Sara told her.

“It’s nothing,” Laurel said. Donna came into the room and said, “Hey girls! What’s going on?” Felicity cringed a little at her loud and perky tone. Felicity and Donna didn’t get along all too well. Donna was more heels and booze which contradicted to Felicity’s glasses and tech. But they were all each other had when Quentin had met them.

“Not a thing,” Felicity said before going upstairs. Laurel and Donna exchanged some smiles. Though she’d been her stepmother for three years, Laurel wasn’t alone with Donna a lot, so they didn’t have much to talk about.

“So, I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you...about Felicity,” Donna said.

“Of course, what is it?” Laurel asked.

“Felicity is only 13 years old,” Donna said, “And this is a new school. New people. I’d like to know there’s someone looking out for her.”

“You don’t need to worry about a thing. She has me, and Sara-”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” she said. Laurel was confused as first, but then she realized what she was saying, “You want me to make sure Sara doesn’t mess with her.” Sara and Felicity did not have a good relationship. And being that Sara was well, extremely gorgeous, with sleek blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a nice figure, she was well liked by her class. And Felicity, with her dark, usually messy looking hair, big square glasses, and dorky style...kids like Sara would be the ones to destroy kids like her.

“I’ll keep an eye on her at school,” Laurel promised.

“Thank you,” Donna said before leaving the room. As she left, Sara came back downstairs, dressed in a white tunic, black leggings, and flats.

“You’re wearing flats to hang gliding?” Laurel asked.

“I’m not going to hang glide,” Sara said before going, “Don’t wait up.” And she was out the door. Laurel rolled her eyes and went back upstairs.

Sara wasn’t old enough to drive, so she took the train to the city. She left the station and noticed a lot of signs about some particle accelerator thingy. Felicity talked about it, not that Sara ever cared to listen. She wasn’t into science and technology. She was just walking down the street when she heard a rustle behind her.

“Who’s there?” she asked. She didn’t get an answer, so she kept walking, staying in the light. She heard the sound again so she looked around. As she was walking backwards, she crashed into a man with two kids.

“I am so sorry sir!” she exclaimed. The man was African American, and Sara couldn’t miss the CCPD badge on his belt. 

“It’s totally fine miss,” he said, “Are you here all by yourself?” Normally Sara would just tell the truth, but he was an officer, so she said, “Yeah, my Dad’s just right in there.” She pointed to some coffee shop called CC Jitters.

“Would you like me to walk you inside?” the man asked. Sara shook her head, “It’s fine sir. I can find my way over there.”

“Okay,” the man said, “Barry, Iris, c’mon,” the man and the kids walked away, and Sara continued walking. Sara hoped her conversation with the man would have drawn away whoever she was hearing behind her. It didn’t.

“You know I can hear you!” Sara yelled as she turned around. She saw a flash of black. It was either a person wearing black or a cat. She was about to scream as the person emerged, but her fear just merged into annoyance, “Laurel?!”

“I wasn’t letting you come to the city all alone by yourself at night,” Laurel said. Sara rolled her eyes. If she showed up with Laurel it would look like she needed a babysitter.

“Yeah, well I’m fine. You can go home now.”

“Not a chance,” Laurel said.

“Fine but when Dad comes home and sees us both gone, you’ll be in trouble too,” Sara said, and Laurel smirked and said, “So you’re admitting you’re gonna get caught?” Ugh, how Sara hated her sister sometimes.

“Keep a distance, I don’t want it to look like we came together,” Sara said, and Laurel smiled and said, “Whatever works best for you.” They both headed to the beach, past a news report saying the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator was ready to go off.

Laurel watched from afar as Sara prepared to jump. She scoffed. So much for not gliding. Some guy probably talked her into it. She prayed Sara wouldn’t actually do it. She was wearing flats, she wasn’t even dressed for it. As she saw Sara put the helmet on, she decided it was time to intervene.

“Sara, take that thing off! You don’t even know how to hang glide.”

“I’ll be fine, you did it,” Sara said. Yes, Laurel had done it, but Oliver had gone up with her and he’d known what he was doing. Not that she’d tell anyone. Her Dad hated Oliver Queen. Laurel looked down at the beach. The waves were picking up.

“Sara, this doesn’t feel right,” Laurel said. She was just getting a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong. It was the same feeling that had caused her to follow Sara all the way here in the first place.

“Just but out Laurel. I’ll be fine,” Sara said, and prepared to make the jump. Laurel gulped. There was no stopping Sara once she wanted to do something. Laurel heard some commotion. The particle accelerator had just been turned on. She guessed it was a big deal here. Sara was already about to run off the cliff, so Laurel just decided to watch. As Sara was about to jump, Laurel grew concerned as someone screamed. She turned and saw in horror that a huge wave of...something was amassing the city.

“The particle accelerator is exploding!” some kid yelled, “Run!” Laurel would have run with the other scrambling kids, but her sister. She was still out there. She wasn’t off the cliff yet. Laurel broke into a run and chased her. That energy was getting closer.

“Sara! SARA!” she screamed as loudly as her voice had ever gotten just as Sara jumped off the cliff and the energy went over both of them. Then it went black.


	2. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara's point of view after being hit by the particle accelerator

I was in the air until I wasn’t. I could hear my sister screaming my name until I couldn’t. All I could hear now was my screams as that blast of light knocked me from my course of the sand and towards the water. I fell in at full force, pain quickly overcoming me. I struggled to swim up, but my whole body hurt. C’mon Sara, I told myself, you can do this. I swam upwards with all the energy I had, until I was gasping for air at the top. The glider had fallen off, so I just threw the helmet off and started swimming. My arms and legs were in so much pain, so it was difficult. I managed to make it to shore, and I felt like passing out. Everything hurt. I would have stayed there all night had I not remembered my sister hadn’t run with the others. She could be hurt.

I stumbled across the sand and looked at the tall cliff. Oh how this would be hell. It was only then when I realized I didn’t have to climb up. Laurel’s body was at the base. Had she fallen?! I ran to my sister and started violently shaking her body. Laurel let out a small groan before rolling over on her back. I sighed, glad to know she was still alive. But she needed help. I had left my phone at home, so I rummaged through Laurel’s pockets until I found hers. Luckily it wasn’t broken. I pulled the phone out and quickly called 911. After they picked up, I said, “There’s been an accident. My sister, she’s hurt, and she needs help. We’re at Turtle Beach in Central City. Please hurry!” The operator said they were sending someone, then asked for my name.

“Sara Lance,” I said. And now the news would get to my father. It was cold, I was wet, in pain, and my sister was hurt. This night was going great.

I’d been waiting for ten minutes, but they passed like hours. I had wrapped Laurel’s jacket around me for warmth. She was passed out, she didn’t need it. A few more minutes passed before I heard the glorious sounds of sirens. The ambulance had come down the road and the EMTs were piling out with a stretcher. They placed Laurel on it and wheeled her away, me following.

“Your father should be at the hospital when you get there,” an EMT told me as I climbed in with her, Great, just great, “They’ll check you out too once you get there.” That didn’t sound like the worst plan. I was still sore all over. The door to the ambulance closed and it drove off. It arrived at the hospital in about half the time that I’d waited. They took Laurel out first and wheeled her in while I was directed to an exam room to wait for a doctor to check me out. I laid down on the exam table. It wasn’t that comfortable, but it was better than the beach. The emergency room was going crazy. Apparently that particle thing had malfunctioned and hurt a lot of people. The door opened, and I expected the doctor, but it was my Dad. Ah crap!

“Sara, thank God you’re okay,” he said as he wrapped me into a hug that I had to ask him to end because it hurt. After he pulled away, he asked, “What were you thinking?! I told you not to come here in case something bad happened, and now look where we are!”

“I’m sorry Daddy. I didn’t think anyone would get hurt. I’m sorry.”

“You should be. You’ve had everyone worried sick!” He continued to lecture until he saw the sad look on my face. His tone softened as he said, “Laurel’s gonna be okay. In fact, she woke up.”

“Really? Is anything broken?” Quentin shook his head, “The doctors say she’s lucky. A fall that high could kill someone.”

“Can I see her?” I asked hopefully.

“Let’s get you checked out first,” he said, and I decided not to argue. The doctor came in, deemed the pain just an effect of crashing into the water so fast, and said I could go. I was up and out the door the minute he said that. I had to find Laurel. My Dad took me into her room. She was looking for something.

“Hey Dad have you seen my jack-” she asked as she turned, only to see it on me. She looked ready to ask for it back until she saw my wet clothes and just shut her mouth. Her voice was a little unsettling to me. It was all hoarse and scratchy.

“C’mon girls, let’s go. You’ll feel better once you’ve gotten some sleep,” Quentin said, and they left the hospital.

The drive back home was long, and Laurel and I had both fallen asleep. When the car rolled up to the driveway, Dad had to wake us both up. I stumbled inside while Laurel was coughing from her very sore throat. I collapsed on the couch. Stairs were too much.

“Really?” Laurel croaked as I kicked my flats off. I nodded, and she shrugged before walking up the stairs. I was just about to fall asleep when there was a tap on my shoulder. It was Dad.

“Both of you owe Donna an apology for leaving this house without asking,” he said. I’d roll my eyes if I wasn’t looking at him, “Yeah whatever Dad. Goodnight.”

“Honey, you smell like fish. You gotta shower,” Quentin said, and I would love to, but walking was becoming torturous. Maybe I could make it to the downstairs bathroom. I had some clothes down there. After my Dad went upstairs, I prepared to take a step, and when I did, it felt like I’d stepped in molten lava. I yelped and jumped away. Nope. Why did my legs hurt so much? After a few more attempts, I gave up, collapsed on the couch, and fell asleep.

I was woken up early by Felicity, who always came down at freaking 6 in the morning to use the computer in the office room. She’d been promised her own laptop soon, and I hoped soon meant today. There was no way I was going back to sleep since Felicity had turned on all the lights. So I got up before I remembered the pain. I winced, expecting it to come, so I was shocked when I easily jumped up and hit the ground with zero pain at all. I took a few steps. I jumped. I hopped on one foot. I ran. It didn’t hurt. I still had a lot of time before school, so I quickly ran upstairs to get that shower in. I guess it was good Felicity woke me up.

After I finished straightening my bangs, I happily walked downstairs and saw Laurel talking to our Dad, her voice restored. Felicity walked out of the computer room but didn’t acknowledge me in any way as she passed. Not that I’d ever expect her to. 

“Hi Daddy,” I said as I kissed his cheek. He smiled at me and said there was cereal in the cabinet. I went to get some, but Felicity had it. She really knew how to annoy me.

“Hi guys,” came Donna’s perky voice, ringing throughout the entire house. Laurel, Felicity, and I all flinched. It was funny how the only thing the three of us seemed to have in common was our hatred for Donna’s perkiness.

“Hi Mom,” Felicity said at the same time Laurel and I said, “Hi Donna.” Dad gave Laurel and I a look, and Laurel started off our apology by saying, “Donna, we’re both really sorry about last night. We should have told you where we were going.”

“Yeah, we’re really sorry,” I said, keeping meaning out of my voice. But no one said anything. They knew that was as good as they were gonna get.

“Oh girls, you don’t have to apologize. I’m just glad you’re okay,” Donna said. Felicity responded with a, “Great, so can we go? I don’t want to be late.”

“Of course,” Quentin said, and Felicity went to the car while Donna went to go get ready for work. Before Laurel and I could leave, Quentin stopped them and said, “Hey, be nice to her, okay? Especially you, Sara.”

“I’ll barely see her, Dad. Can we just go?” I was getting sick of being asked to be nice. It was the same thing, all summer long. And I’d heard Donna talking to Laurel last night. I wasn’t deaf. Luckily for me, my Dad relented and told us to go to the car.

“Hey have you been feeling kind of funny?” Laurel asked me as we walked towards the car. I shook my head, “No, why?”

“I don’t know. I could barely say a thing last night, but now I’m all better.” I thought about the pain I’d felt last night and how it’d vanished this morning, but just because the same thing happened to Laurel, didn’t mean it meant something. So I shook my head and said, “Nope. Nothing. I’ve never been better.”

“That’s just it,” Laurel said, and I refrained from rolling my eyes in frustration, “We were hurt last night, but now we’re okay. I mean c’mon, I fell off a cliff! No bruises, broken bones. Even my sore throat is gone!”

“Maybe you had some great herbal tea that helped you,” I said. Laurel frowned and went, “But I didn’t drink any tea last night.”

“It was a sore throat Laurel. Those go away,” I said as I climbed into the car and rooted through my bag for my earbuds so I wouldn’t have to talk with my sister anymore.

“Not that fast. The last time my throat was sore it took four days to go away and it was nowhere near as bad as it was last night.” I just put my earbuds in so I wouldn’t have to continue the conversation, though I was a little interested when Laurel said, “Do you think it had anything to do with the particle accelerator?”

“You mean that thing that went haywire last night?” I asked as I pulled the earbud out. She nodded, pleased to have my attention, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“I was looking on the TV. There were about 20 fatalities from it, and so many people are in the hospital. A 13 year old kid is one of them.”

“That’s sad,” I murmured, thinking of Felicity in the hospital. She was just so tiny.

“Yeah. I’m not really into science, but I can tell that something is really, really wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed! Next chapter will go into Laurel's point of view...


	3. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel's first day of school...and with her powers

Sara kind of shut herself off when I mentioned something might have gone wrong. She put her earbud back in and turned to face the window. I shifted to the middle as Felicity came inside. As Dad drove us to school, I kept trying to talk to her, but nothing. Oh well, when Sara didn’t want to talk, she didn’t want to talk. We got to the school, and all climbed out of the back. Dad told me I had to drive tomorrow since he had to leave early.

“Okay, bye,” I said to him, and he drove off. Felicity and Sara had already gone inside, so I straightened the tie on my uniform and went in to find Oliver and Tommy. I found them by Oliver’s locker, with other guys on the football team. Oliver played football. Tommy didn’t, but since they were best friends, he was in with them. I was in with them in a way. The way being they didn’t mock me like they did the other girls in the advanced classes and Student Council. The only girls they seemed to respect were the cheerleaders. Oliver and Tommy had wanted me to be a cheerleader when they started freshman year. But I didn’t have a cheerleader body. My face was kinda round, I’m not that athletic, and I honestly don’t feel pretty enough. Sara was more of a cheerleader type, but she wasn’t into school spirit.

“Dinah Laurel Lance!” Tommy said happily as I joined him, “There she is.”

“Thomas Merlyn,” I said, “How are you?” His response was a big hug that allowed me to smell the beer on him. Oh God. I guess my plan to stop the partying would be the hardest. And it was 8 AM. His earliest was 10 AM.

“Laurel hey,” Oliver said as he pushed some of his shaggy blonde hair out of his face, “You look great, how’ve you been?”

“Good,” I said, allowing myself to forget about Tommy and talk to him, “How was Thea’s riding camp? She seemed excited.”

“Well...she kind of got afraid of the horse and ended up quitting on the first day,” Oliver said with a small chuckle.

“Oh my God, that’s awful,” I said, but laughed with him. Thea was Oliver’s younger sister, by ten years, so she was in a different building. Starling Academy was K-12, so I’ve been going here since I was 5 years old. I’d met Oliver and Tommy my first year here. He and Tommy had been friends since they were like 2. They weren’t the friends I’d expected to make since they were the loud ones that always ended up in trouble, but they were nice to me.

“Yeah, she was in a sour mood about it all. She claimed the horse didn’t like her so she couldn’t ride it, but my Mom said the way she looked at it made it obvious.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and he shrugged and went, “Eh, not our problem, right?”

“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Felicity. She looked smaller than she had at home this morning. The pigtails Donna had put her brown hair in made her look five years younger, and the big glasses took away 1 or 2 more years.

“Hey Felicity,” Oliver said, having met her a couple times when he’d come to my house.

“Hi Oliver,” she said shyly. She and Sara were both shy around him.

“You need something?” I asked her. She nodded and showed me her schedule. She needed help getting to Advanced Biology. It was on the opposite side of the building from where I needed to be, but I told Donna I’d look out for her, and that was what I was gonna do.

“I’ll walk you,” I said, and I’d be lying if I said my face didn’t light up a bit when Oliver said, “I’m free first period, I’ll come with you.” So the three of us walked to class.

“So, you excited?” Oliver asked Felicity, “I still remember my freshman year. We had so much fun, right Laurel?”

“If you’re referring to when we got detention that one time for freeing Mr. Linus's gerbil without his permission, I wouldn’t exactly call that fun.”

“You got Laurel to do that?” Felicity asked with a laugh. Oliver nodded and said said, “She doesn’t even let Sara and I buy movies On Demand!”

“It was a one time thing,” I said, “And don’t mention it to Mr. Linus because you’re about to enter his classroom.” He taught biology. Oliver and I hadn’t been in the same class since I had been in Advanced and Oliver and Tommy had been in Regular. We’d done it during lunch.

“Just ask me or Sara if you get lost again,” I said to her. She gave me a nod and went inside.

“Aww, you’re like a mother,” Oliver said as I watched Felicity take her seat before turning around to walk to my own class.

“She’s just so tiny,” I said, “I’m sure some kids on your team have a few feet on her.”

“Oh they totally do,” he said, “But I think she’ll be fine. She’s smart.” I was still unconvinced, “C’mon Laurel, let’s get you to class now, huh?” He pulled my focus away from Felicity’s class and I was soon walking down the hall on the way to AP US.

The first half of my day was all my hard classes mashed together, which left my afternoons free of stress and tons of time to get work done before I went home. I sat outside to do it. It could get cold early in Starling, so I would enjoy this. I was getting a book out when I felt my phone vibrate from inside my blazer pocket. It was Donna.

“Hi, Donna,” I said as I got up and walked farther away from the building to answer. The teachers hated seeing phones out and there was no way I was getting detention on the first day of school. Or ever. It was my goal to never get detention, and so far, I’ve stuck to it.

“Hi sweetie, your Dad and I just wanted to let you girls know that we’ll be going out tonight, and to order food if there’s nothing you can make.”

“Okay. Is that all?” I asked as I walked through the trees by the lake. I knew there had to be more. She could have just texted me that.

“I know you’re getting sick of hearing this, but is Felicity okay?”

“She’s fine, she just needed some help finding some of her classes,” I said. I found it cute how Donna worried. Like Felicity was a preschooler on her first day.

“Okay. Just make sure she doesn’t get trampled in the halls, and she knows where all the exits are, and…” she rambled on and on about trivial things until I assured her things were fine and hung up. I started to walk back until I saw something yellow.

“What the…” I muttered, confused at the difference of color in the usual green and brown bleakness. I walked forward and peered toward the tree and was attacked with a sea of yellow birds that poured out. I was in so much shock I screamed. The sound that came out of my mouth was foreign. I could see the sound waves come out as my scream drew all the birds back and made the trees rock. I closed my mouth and stared in shock at the birds that were on the ground tweeting and struggling to get back up. Had I done that? The birds looked familiar to me. Canaries. Sara used to have one. It tweeted so much it drove us all crazy. The birds looked so helpless. It was like my scream had drained the power out of them. So I turned away, and I ran.

I thought about it the entire way home, into the house, and up to my room. It wasn’t until I was inside and the door was closed that I allowed myself to stop thinking and just...no, there was no way to get it out of my head. It was a scream. Why was it so loud? I literally saw the sound waves. That was not normal. There was no way that was normal. There was a knock on the door, and Sara came in.

“Do you have scissors?” Sara asked. My first thought was to tell her. I told my sister everything, well, almost everything. But all that ended up coming out of my mouth was, “First drawer on the left.”

“Thanks sis,” she said after she found them. She left the room soon after. I couldn’t tell her. I couldn’t tell anyone. Not until I knew what was happening. I was fine yesterday. I could scream without nearly killing a flock of canaries. So what was it, then? I thought about what could have changed, when it hit me. The particle accelerator.

“Yes, that’s it!” I ended up saying out loud. I cringed a little, hoping no one heard that. No one said anything, so I went back to my thoughts. I’d been screaming after Sara when that wave of energy went over me. That had to be it. It was the only thing that made sense. If this was it, then there was something I needed to do. I changed out of my uniform into more comfortable clothes and went downstairs.

“I need to go out for a bit,” I told my Dad as I passed him.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Just to get notes from a friend,” I made up on the spot. Dad frowned at me and said, “Is this friend one of those two frat boys you hang out with?”

“No, just a girl from my class,” I said. I usually argued with Dad when he referred to Oliver and Tommy as frat boys, but I needed to go and I didn’t want to start something with him that would lead to him not letting me go. Especially after last night.

“I should say no because of what happened yesterday,” he said, and I winced until I saw him smile and say, “But I trust you. Don’t stay out too long.”

“Thank you Dad,” I said before grabbing my jacket and sliding it on, hoping my trip wouldn’t take me that long. I took the keys off the ring by the door and stepped outside to get into the car. Central City was a few hours away, so I really needed to make this quick. But even if my Dad did get mad, at least I would have some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Laurel knows about her powers! Next chapter will switch back to Sara...


	4. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara discovers her powers and ends up meeting a very mysterious woman.

I got some scissors from Laurel and went back to my room so I could cut the tag off one of the new shirts I’d bought over the summer. I put the shirt down and went into the bathroom to throw the tag away. I left the bathroom and realized that my room was pretty warm. There was a breeze outside, so I opened the window. I saw my sister getting into the car. Probably to go to one of her nerdy study groups. I never understood study groups. Why would anyone go out of their way to leave their house, go to some location, and talk about school? It made no sense! The door opened and Felicity walked in, of course without knocking.

“Need a push?” she asked sarcastically, as she looked at me leaned over the windowsill.

“I hate you,” I said, “What do you want?”

“What was the Spanish homework?” she asked. Spanish was the only class we had together, since Felicity was in advanced...everything, and I took the regular classes.

“To read the story and answer the questions,” I said, hoping Felicity would just take that answer and leave. She didn’t.

“So are you gonna jump?” she asked.

“Why the hell would I jump?” I asked. God this bitch was weird. Felicity shrugged and said, “Maybe so you can forget just how average and standard you are.” Okay, this was where the unfairness was. I was always getting yelled at to be nicer to her, but she could go around and say whatever she wanted. And if I complained, I got called out. Where was the fairness in that?

“Get out of my room!” I snapped, trying not to let her see that I was getting irritated. I wasn’t successful, since an impish grin crossed her face as she said, “Or what? You’ll attack me with one of your...what even are all these things?”

“That’s an eyebrow curler, idiot,” I said, “Now give it back.” I reached for it, but Felicity jumped away from me. She didn’t even know what it was and she was trying to take it from me! God how I hated this kid. I chased her over my bed and around the room for the better part of three minutes until I finally took it from her, “Now get out!” I snapped, giving her a shove to the door, which, unfortunately, she took as a shove that meant I wanted to fight her. She pushed me, and she was not holding back. It wasn’t long before we were tackling each other on the ground.

“Why do you always have to start things?” I asked once I was back on my feet.

“Me?! You shoved me first!” Felicity snapped before pushing me so hard into the windowsill that I not only lost my footing, but tumbled over the windowsill. I heard Felicity call my name as I plummeted down. I could see the ground, the same way I’d seen the water last night. Just as I thought I was going to fall and either die or break every bone in my body, I wasn’t falling anymore. I soared up from the ground, just like I’d done on that glider before I’d fallen into the ocean. A yellow bird flew next to me. I recognized it as a canary. That was funny, I used to own one of those things. I flew upward, back towards my window. Pretty soon, I was staring at a gaping Felicity through the window as I floated. She looked just as shocked as I did, if not more, her mouth hanging wider than I’d ever seen before.

“What the…” Felicity asked, her voice trailing. I floated and rolled for a bit until I was able to fly myself back through the window. I was glad my room faced the backyard, so no neighbors had seen that.

“Dude, what the hell was that?” Felicity asked, and I was too freaked out to notice that that was the first time I’d ever heard her curse...or call me dude. It wasn’t my name yet, but it was nicer than anything else she called me.

“I, I don’t know,” was all I could say. And it was the truth. As far as I knew, humans weren’t supposed to fly like birds. I’d just been flying next to one ten seconds ago!

“What drugs are you on?” was Felicity’s next question. I shot her a glare and said, “I’m not on drugs you dipshit!”

“Well what happened out there wasn’t normal!” Felicity said. She suddenly looked very wary of me, and I noticed she took a step back. Dammit, now I scared her!

“I don’t know what it is, I promise,” I said, lowering my voice. I didn’t want to sound or look scary to her. 

“Has it ever happened before?” I shook my head. She nodded and said, “Okay, then we need to figure out what caused this. Then we can figure out where to get help.”

“We?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course. I am in the room with you right now,” she said. My first instinct was to tell her that I’d be fine by myself, until I realized I really wasn’t. This was uncharted territory, and it felt nice to have someone to share it with, even if it was my stupid step sister.

“Okay, then let’s, um...retrace,” I said. Felicity nodded, waiting for me to say something, “Um...I guess it might have to do with the…” I trailed off, and Felicity finished the sentence by saying, “The particle accelerator?”

“Yes, that thingy!” I said, and Felicity’s smirk came back, all traces of her previous wariness had disappeared, which gave me relief.

“That thingy has put about 20 people in the hospital,” Felicity pointed out. I nodded and said, “That’s what confuses me, you know? 13 year old kids are critically injured, yet Laurel fell off a cliff and just drove off to a study group. How does that make sense?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should ask,” Felicity said. 

“Ask who?” I asked.

“Dr. Harrison Wells, of course,” Felicity said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “He created the accelerator, he must know the effects.”

“Yeah, except he’s in Central City, we can’t drive, and it’s two hours away.”

“One hour by train,” Felicity said, “Plus you went yesterday.”

“And I got in trouble,” I countered.

“Well are you still in trouble?” I shook my head. I’d gotten a lecture an apologized to Donna. That was it, “Well then let’s go.” We both ran downstairs and were stopped by a concerned Donna.

“Are you two okay? I heard yelling,” she said.

“Oh we’re good. There was just a spider,” Felicity said. I was surprised at her ability to lie. I thought she was a goody two shoes.

“Is it still up there?” Donna asked in a panic, obviously terrified of spiders. Felicity shook her head, “No, we killed it.”

“Good. Are you girls going somewhere?”

“Yup. Study group,” I said, but that excuse didn’t seem to work as well with me as it did with Laurel, “You two have the same study group?”

“We’re in Spanish together,” Felicity said, and I was thankful for the help.

“Oh alright. Do you two need a ride?”

“No!” we both said at the same time, before giving Donna signature smiles. She frowned at us and said, “Okay. Don’t stay out too late. And stick together.”

“Okay Mom,” Felicity said as we put some light sweatshirts on and we were soon out the door. As we walked down the porch steps, I asked, “Do you lie to her often?”

“Only when I need to,” she said, “Which way to the train station?”

“We leave the neighborhood, then walk for about thirty minutes,” I said, “It isn’t that bad once we start.”

“Then let’s go,” Felicity said before running ahead. Great, she was fast too. I picked up my step so I could catch up with her.

The train station wasn’t that busy at this time, though it probably would be on our way back. It was pretty much deserted besides a couple families and this girl who looked to be Laurel’s age, wearing a hat with her nose in a book.

“Is it usually this empty?” Felicity asked. I shrugged, “There are some times when it’s emptier than others, but never this deserted. Maybe it’s a slow day.” Some families were giving us weird looks as we bought our tickets. They probably thought we were runaways. We bought the tickets and ended up sitting next to that girl as we waited. Those families who’d been staring at us had gotten on the train to Coast City. The one for Central City arrived in ten minutes.

“You have beautiful eyes,” the girl suddenly said to me after about seven of them passed. I looked up at her and said, “Thanks, you too.” And I wasn’t lying. Her eyes were almond shaped and a nice shade of brown that complimented her slightly tanned features.

“You’ll need to use them soon,” she said as she reached down for something. I frowned, “Excuse me?” The girl gave me a smile that gave me an unsettling feeling. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the man who’d given us our tickets let out a yell and pulled a sword out from behind his back before launching himself at the girl. I thought he was going to kill her, but the girl grabbed her own sword before attacking him. I grabbed Felicity and covered her as we hid behind some chairs. The two people fought until the girl sent the guy running with a slice to the side. The girl turned to me and Felicity. She walked over and said, “I am Nyssa. Daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. Heir to the demon.” I cringed as my step sister answered with, “Felicity Smoak, Staton Elementary Class of ‘98.” That was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That definitely didn't go the way Sara and Felicity wanted! Next chapter picks up to Laurel's more successful visit to Central City...


	5. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel goes to Central City and meets the crew at S.T.A.R. Labs

I arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs about ninety minutes after I’d left the house. I had sped a little, but that didn’t really matter. I got out of the car and went to the front door. It opened as I pushed on it. The lobby was completely deserted.

“Hello?” I called, “Is anyone there?” I didn’t get an answer at first, so I was about to leave, until someone asked, “Who’s there?” I turned to see where the voice was coming from and I watched as a man in a wheelchair wheeled out.

“Are you Dr. Wells?” I asked.

“I am. Who are you?”

“I’m Laurel Lance. I live in Starling City. I was in town the night that the particle accelerator was turned on.”

“Oh,” he said, “If you’re here to attack me, I’d appreciate it if you’d just get it over with quickly. I have work to do.”

“I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, “I came to ask for your help.”

“With what?” he asked.

“You might want to cover your ears,” I said. He sighed and did as I said. I took a deep breath, and screamed as loud as I could. The sound waves came out and destroyed every glass object in the room. As I shut my mouth, I turned back to Dr. Wells, and stared at the shocked expression on his face, “Come with me,” he said before turning to a hallway that led to a back room. I happily followed, glad I was on my way to answers.

Dr. Wells led me to a room with a desk full of computers. There was a room connected to it where a young boy laid in a hospital bed, connected to many wires. An African American man and a girl who looked to be his daughter were with the boy. A Hispanic looking man was working with the computers, while a kid who looked like his son was doing homework with a brunette girl at one of the tables at the far side of the room. All these kids looked to be Felicity’s age.

“Who’s this?” the man at the computers asked Dr. Wells upon seeing me.

“This is Laurel Lance. Like our poor friend Mr. Allen, she has experienced the effects of the particle accelerator.”

“Then how come she isn’t asleep like Barry?” the girl asked. Barry Allen. I felt like I’d heard that name before. In a news article or something.

“I’m not really sure,” I said to her. Her friend walked up to me and eagerly said, “I’m Francisco Ramon, but everyone calls me Cisco. This is my friend, Caitlin Snow, and that’s my Dad. He’s called Dr. Ramon here.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” I said.

“Laurel, come back here with me so we can talk,” Dr. Ramon said, and I followed him and Dr. Wells to a small exam room, “Lay down here, I’m going to check your throat.” I laid down on the table while he went to get some stuff.

“So tell me Laurel,” he said when he came back, “What exactly were you doing when you were hit by the dark matter?”

“I was screaming for my sister,” I said, “I was worried she was gonna get hurt.”

“That might be it,” he said as he felt my throat, “Dark matter goes over you while you scream, amplifying your vocal cords in the process.”

“Are there more like me?” I asked.

“Probably,” Dr. Wells said, “They just haven’t come by.” Dr. Ramon said I could stand back up so I hopped off the table and he asked, “When you scream, do you always have a set target, or is it all over the place?”

“All over the place,” I said, “My first scream took out an entire flock of canaries.”

“Well, that can’t happen,” Dr. Ramon said, “I want to test your screams back in the testing room. Cisco can show you where it is. I’ll be right out.”

“Okay, thank you,” I said before leaving the exam room. I passed Barry Allen’s bedside. How small it was made me very sad.

“Who are you?” asked the girl who’d been visiting Barry when I entered.

“I’m Laurel Lance. I had some questions for Dr. Wells.”

“I’m Iris West. Barry is my foster brother,” she said.

“Foster brother? What about his parents?” I asked. Iris made a sad face and said, “Barry’s mom passed away two years ago. And we’re not supposed to talk about his dad.” I decided not to ask after she said that.

“I have to go find Cisco. He has to take me to the training room.” Iris got excited and said, “Ooh, I’ll come with you guys.” She ran out of Barry’s room and I followed her back to the main room where Cisco and Caitlin were putting books away.

“Cisco, you have to show Laurel the training room,” Iris announced loudly. Cisco and Caitlin turned to us and just started walking, not saying anything. I decided to follow them since it was clear that they’d heard Iris. They took me to a small room that was at the end of a curved hallway. I noticed a sign that said the walls were soundproof. Nice touch.

“I’ve always loved this thing,” Cisco said as he walked over to a giant machine, “It’s a racetrack designed for cars, but my Dad says that if someone goes fast enough, they can make it the entire way.”

“That’s cool,” I said. It was cool that Cisco got to hang out in a place like this every day. I always wished my Dad had a cooler job than detective. Sure he caught criminals and stuff, but that was the thing. There  _ were _ no big criminals in Starling City. Cisco, Caitlin, and Iris soon left me alone in the room, so I explored. There were a bunch of computers Felicity would have fangirled over, and some weapons my Dad would have asked about. Nothing much for me. I wanted to go into law like my Mom. Justice was my interest. I just needed to pray that my Dad would pay for law school considering law was the last thing he wanted me to do. I heard the door open and Dr. Ramon walked in, pulling me back into the present. He was holding a pair of noise cancelling headphones and he had a clipboard in his hands.

“What’s the clipboard for?” I asked. Dr. Ramon looked up from what he was writing and said, “Just notes on what I see from you today.” I nodded. That was fine. I was all for getting answers, but I wasn’t going to be a lab rat.

“So Laurel, I just want you to scream. Like, just a scream. A scream you would emit if you went into a room and saw something that took you by surprise. Like a spider.”

“Okay,” I said. That sounded easy enough. Dr. Ramon put the headphones on and gave me a thumbs up. I let out a normal scream, and was shocked to see the soundwaves still came out. They knocked a gun off a table. Dr. Ramon wrote something down and I winced. He made me scream a few more times, taking notes after each one. By the time we were done I would have expected my throat to be on fire, but it wasn’t. I was fine.

“Do you have any notes?” I asked Dr. Ramon as he took his headphones out.

“Your powers are very strong, but they aren’t controlled,” he said, “So don’t use them in a public setting and come see me in...two weeks.”

“Two weeks? Why?” I asked. 

“Two weeks, Laurel,” he said before leaving the room. I frowned and followed him out. I had to start heading home anyways. I said goodbye to the kids and Mr. West, or Joe, as he preferred to be called, and went on my way. I was almost at the exit when I was approached by Dr. Wells.

“Leaving already?” he asked. I nodded and said, “Dr. Ramon was done running tests. He said to come back in two weeks.”

“Then I guess we’ll see you then. Have a safe drive home.”

“Thank you Dr. Wells,” I said and he gave me a goodbye before turning and wheeling away. I left S.T.A.R. Labs and was walking to my car when I swore I heard footsteps. I thought I was being crazy until a hand was on my bag, demanding that I gave it to him. My normal reaction, which was what I did, was to scream. The soundwaves came out and the guy was thrown backwards. I still had my bag, so in a state of panic, I quickly unlocked my car, got in, shut the door, and drove away.

I arrived back home around 9 o’clock. Hopefully I could just say we had a lot to study and my Dad would believe it. I was still a little frazzled about that guy. I hope I hadn’t hurt him. Or worse, killed him. Oh God, what had I done? I shook the thoughts away and climbed out of my car. I opened the front door and went, “Dad, Donna, I’m home!” I suddenly heard frantic running as my Dad and stepmom arrived at the door.

“Thank God you’re okay,” Dad said as he wrapped me in a big hug. Okay that was weird. I waited for him to pull away before I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Quentin, is that them?” came Donna’s voice from upstairs.

“No, but Laurel’s okay!” Dad called back. I heard a sigh of relief from upstairs. There was only one answer to who ‘them’ was referring to, “Sara and Felicity, where are they?”

“We don’t know baby, I was about to get a search party for all of you, but you’re back so maybe they’re just late...where were you?”

“Study group ran late,” I lied. Now I was worried. Where the hell were my sisters?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sara and Felicity are missing! You'll see what happened to them very soon. Thanks to everyone who is reading!


	6. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Felicity go for a ride...

I woke up to a searing pain in the back of my head. I clutched my head, willing the pain away, but nothing. I knew I wasn’t in my room. It felt like I was moving, and the hard ground under me was  _ not _ my bed. I turned and saw my stepsister, who was still out. There was a crack in her glasses, and her hair was a mess. Hell, mine was too. I heard the sound of someone yelling. I looked forward and realized there were bars in front of me. That was scary, but at the moment I was more curious as to where the yelling was coming from. I peered through the bars and saw that girl from the train station. A man was yelling at her. Was he her dad? Her teacher? The girl looked so composed. Whenever my Dad yelled at me I would usually start crying. I suddenly found myself having admiration for this girl. She’d said her name, but I’d forgotten it. There was a bump that caused me to actually try to pinpoint my surroundings. We were definitely in a vehicle, but it was too big to be a car or truck. Maybe a bus? No, too narrow. I looked out the window, expecting to maybe see a familiar building. My face went pale when I saw a small cloud.  _ We were in a plane! _

“Felicity! Damn it Felicity, get up!” I snapped as I shook the girl, “Ugh, you dipshit!” I smacked her across the face and she was up in an instant.

“What the hell, bitch!” she said grumpily.  _ What was with all her cursing? She was 13! _

“We need to get out of here, like now!” I said.

“Where is here?” Felicity asked groggily as she looked around the small cell we were in. Once she realized we were on a plane, she was in full panic mode, “Where are we going?!”

“I don’t know!” I said, “But keep your voice down.” Felicity gulped before groaning when she realized her glasses were broken, “Well this is just great.”

“What should we do about the prisoners?” I heard the girl ask.

“What prisoners?” Felicity asked. I gave her a look. She was supposed to be the smart one! “Oh, right. Sorry.”

“We’ll figure it out when we get there. Now go, leave me,” the man said. The girl turned from him, and she and I made eye contact for half a second before she took a seat. Well, so much for finding a way out of here. Looked like we were going to...wherever this thing was going.

Felicity and I had both fallen asleep by the time the plane hit the ground. We were both awake the minute the rumbling started. Once the plane came to a stop, the door to the cell opened, and I tried to attack the people on the other side, but they were way too strong. They lifted me up so my legs were dangling. We were taken off the plane and into a huge building where every room had men in similar attire at every door. The girl and the man walked in front of us. Someone murmured the girl’s name as he talked to her. Nyssa, that was it! Nyssa and the man led us into a room, where the man stood in front of us, Nyssa by his side, while we were thrown to the ground. Felicity’s glasses fell off and skittered on the ground. She groped around for them until some guy smashed them under his boot. Felicity let out a small squeak of despair. I was about to stand up, but the girl gave me a harsh stare that made me sit right back down.

“You will kneel before Ra’s al Ghul,” the man said in a loud booming voice. The girl, wait,  _ Nyssa _ , was giving me a pleading look, so I did as he said. I had to help Felicity, who was nearly blind without the support of her glasses. As I looked up at Ra’s al Ghul, I wished I had the same predicament because he was  _ scary. _ He asked us what our business had been in that train station.

“We just wanted to go to Central City,” I answered, “We didn’t know y’all would go all homicidal and everything.”

“They seem quite harmless,” Ra’s al Ghul said as he examined us. Hope surged through my chest. Harmless meant he’d let us go, right? Wrong. Harmless meant we would stay here under guard, instead of chained in the dungeon.

“You can wait up there until your execution,” he said. Now Felicity and I were really scared.

“Wait, you’re gonna kill us?” I asked in fear.

“You’ve seen too much. Take them,” Ra’s al Ghul said, and as the guard grabbed our arms, I knew I had to act fast. There was one thing left to do. I grabbed Felicity’s arm and I jumped. I was off the ground in an instance. I heard shocked gasps and murmuring under me, but I ignored it and continued to fly out a high window. I was almost there until something pierced my leg and I went crashing down. I hit the ground and was in so much pain I screamed. I looked at my leg and saw and arrow embedded inside of it. Nyssa was pointing her bow at me. Bitch!

“Forget the execution,” Ra’s al Ghul said, “They might be of use after all.”

Felicity was struggling to look through the window, because it was barred, and because she could barely see me, who was ten feet away from her, trying to stop the bleeding in my leg. It was bad. That Nyssa girl was a good shot. The door opened and we both turned to look at it. It was Nyssa, carrying bandages, gauze, some thread, and a suture. Oh God.

“I’ve come to tend to your wounds,” Nyssa said, “May I enter?”

“Um...sure?” I said as more of a question than a statement. Nyssa sat down on the bed and took my leg in her hands. She put a solution on it that stung at first, but soon soothed the pain. She then thread the needle through the suture, and I winced a little as she threaded it through the cut.

“I am sorry for causing you this pain,” she said as she sutured. Oh I was sure she was.

“Why can’t you let us go home? We won’t tell anybody anything.”

“I wish I could, but if we trusted, we wouldn’t still be here,” Nyssa said as she finished suturing and placed a bandage on it before wrapping it in the gauze, “It will heal eventually. Just give it some time.”

“Thank you,” I said, surprising me and her. She looked at Felicity, gave her a smile and said, “We will find some new lenses for your friend.”

“You have a Lens Eye Crafters out here?” Felicity asked. I chuckled a little at her sass. Nyssa raised an eyebrow at her and said, “Don’t underestimate what we can do.” She stood up from the bed and exited the room.

“Isn’t she lovely?” Felicity asked as she jumped on the bed next to me.

“Yeah, she’s something,” I said.

“How long do you think they’re going to keep us here?” she asked as the two of us laid down on the bed, which was very, very comfortable, and nice and warm.

“I don’t know,” I said, “Try to sleep. Maybe it’ll be better in the morning.”

“That was awesome, you know. What you did back there,” she said, “It saved both our lives. I mean, look at Nyssa back then. She asked us for permission!”

“Maybe she’s just courteous,” I said, not willing to talk about my abilities. I still didn’t understand them. We were silent for a bit, then Felicity said,

“I miss Mom. And Quentin and Laurel,” Felicity said. I did too. I missed Laurel so much and it had only been a day. I couldn’t imagine a life without her.

“We’ll get back to them. Eventually,” I said.

“But we don’t even know where we are,” Felicity argued, “And who knows how long we were on that plane?”

“God, you worry a lot,” I said, even though I was worried too. But I had to be strong for her. I was older, I had to be the optimist.

“How do you not?” Felicity asked. I decided to just not answer. I rolled over and pretended to sleep, though I really couldn’t. I was comfortable, and the pain in my leg wasn’t as throbbing, but I was just too worried to sleep. I turned to Felicity to talk, but she was asleep. She had been awake longer than me on the plane. I got out of bed and opened the door to our room, glad it wasn’t locked. I walked down the stone hallway. There were these guards everywhere, all dressed in black with some kind of weapon, ready to use. They regarded me in different ways. Some with wariness, some with anger, and some with...respect. Was it because of what I’d done?

“I thought you’d fallen asleep,” came a voice as I entered another corridor. I turned and saw Nyssa, with a smile on her face. That was new from her.

“I slept on the plane,” I said, trying not to sound too nervous. There was something about this girl that made me clammy around her.

“Oh. Then would you like to take a walk outside with me?” I don’t know what made me nod, but I did anyways. She told me to follow her towards a gate. The guards at the gate gave me a look, but Nyssa assured them I wouldn’t run, so we were allowed outside.

“What makes you so sure I won’t run?” I asked once we were alone.

“You can try, but you can’t take me,” Nyssa said.

“I can fly,” I countered. Nyssa raised an eyebrow and said, “And I can shoot.” I scowled at her, though I knew she wasn’t wrong. My leg still throbbed a bit.

“Are you ever going to let us go?” I asked.

“In time. Wait for it,” Nyssa said. That had been the most definite answer I’d gotten about our time here.

“And until then?” I asked.

“My father has great plans for you. And your friend shall be kept out of harm as well.” That man having so called “great plans” for me was unsettling. But at least Felicity and I were out of danger. At least, I hoped we were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Felicity are definitely in a bind. Next chapter will be back to Laurel, and we'll see what the team of S.T.A.R. Labs has in store for her


	7. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel gets a special gift from S.T.A.R. Labs

My mind had been so consumed with worry for Sara and Felicity that I hadn’t even noticed that the two weeks had passed. I was in my car, driving to S.T.A.R. Labs, which I was allowed to do since I was staying with my Mom this week. With Dad and Donna, they needed me close since they didn’t want me to disappear too. They’d dropped me off at my Mom’s on Friday since they were going out of Starling to search and take a breather. I pulled into the parking lot and got out of my car. I still remembered screaming at that guy. Luckily for me, he was okay. Just a bump to the head that made him forget most of what happened. I went inside and was greeted by Iris and her Dad who were leaving after visiting Barry. After they left, I walked to the main room. It was empty, but the bags and lights suggested people were there. I decided to say hello to Barry. He looked the same as he’d been two weeks ago, in the hospital gown, multiple machines strapped to him.

“Ms. Lance, welcome back,” Dr. Ramon said as he entered the room with Cisco. He had a jewelry box in his hand, and he looked very pleased.

“Hi Laurel,” Cisco said eagerly.

“Hey,” I said. Dr. Ramon told me to follow me back into the exam room. Cisco waved goodbye and went back to his backpack. On the way to the exam room, we passed Dr. Wells, who was looking at something with Caitlin.

“Do Cisco and Caitlin come here often?” I asked. Dr. Ramon nodded, “Cisco has to because he’s my son, but Caitlin has a busy mother, so she comes here with Cisco and I so she’ll have someone to watch her for the day.”

“What does Caitlin’s mother do?”

“She’s a doctor as well, just not here. Caitlin’s father has multiple sclerosis, so she also spends time taking care of him. Like I said, busy woman.” He opened the door to the exam room. The table had been pulled up into a sitting position, “Sit down here and we’ll get started.” I sat down just as Cisco and Caitlin entered the room, “Can we watch, Dad?” Cisco asked.

“Sure, just don’t get in the way,” Dr. Ramon said.

“Watch what?” I asked.

The device was placed around my neck. It felt a little tight at first, but soon didn’t bother me. It wasn’t big either, so it didn’t look that awkward.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a sonic device that only responds to your vocal cords,” Dr. Ramon said, “It will help control your screams. Do a regular scream.” I did the same scream from two weeks ago and was surprised when it came out normal.

“Now scream as loud as you can,” Dr. Ramon said. I took a breath and screamed, the waves coming out, but instead of shattering everything, they only went where I was aiming for.

“That was awesome!” Caitlin said as she removed her hands from her ears.

“And if you don’t like the restriction, just take the device off,” Dr. Ramon said.

“No, it’s actually perfect,” I said as I pulled the device off so I could examine it. It was black, and was like a choker. There was a part that went over my vocal cords. I guessed that was what gave me the control, “And it’s mine to keep?”

“100% percent,” Dr. Ramon said, and Cisco went, “I’m calling it, The Cry.”

“That sounds lame,” Caitlin said, in a voice that reminded me of Felicity’s whenever she corrected Sara. Sara would respond by calling her a dipshit. Oh how I missed them. Dr. Ramon took the device from me and put it back in the box.

“You’re good to go,” he said as he gave it back, “Come back if you ever have any questions. We are always here.”

“Thank you so much,” I said, “Bye guys!” Cisco and Caitlin waved goodbye and I left S.T.A.R. Labs. I placed The Cry in my passenger seat and drove home.

At school the next day, I found it hard to focus. Oliver kept poking me in the back everytime the teacher called on me and I didn’t hear, and all my answers were crap.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Oliver asked as he ran to catch up with me after school let out.

“Nothing. Just worried about Sara and Felicity,” I said. Oliver nodded, “Yeah, that must suck. But I’m sure they’ll find them. Don’t worry.”

“Kind of hard when it’s been two weeks,” I said. He gave me a sympathetic smile before asking if Dad was back yet. I shook my head, “Well then why don’t you hang out at my place for the afternoon. The driver can take you home.”

“I have my car,” I said.

“Perfect, we can go in that,” he said. I bit my lip, “C’mon, I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Fine, let’s go,” I said, and we both went to my car.

The Queen Mansion had to be the biggest estate in all of Starling. It stretched over enough land to cover my whole house plus three more.

“Hey Mom, I’m home!” Oliver called as we entered. I heard the sound of footsteps as Oliver’s sister Thea thundered downstairs with a boy I’d never met before.

“Thea, who’s your friend?” Oliver asked.

“This is Roy Harper. He goes to a different school,” she said before tagging him, “You’re it!” The two kids ran off, leaving Oliver and I confused. Moira Queen came out from the kitchen and said, “Laurel dear, how is your family?”

“They’re holding on,” I said, “They’re just really worried.”

“Well you’re welcome here anytime. And you know you have my support.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Queen,” I said, and she gave me a smile before going upstairs. Oliver and I stood in silence in the foyer. We hadn’t come here alone without Tommy in years.

“So, do you want to go upstairs?” Oliver asked.

“Upstairs to your room?” I asked. He nodded, “Um yeah, sure.” We went upstairs together, and he kicked his shoes off once we reached his room.

“You can take your shoes off if you’d like. Or leave them on. Whatever works,” Oliver said as he gave me a smile. I gently slid my shoes off and placed them by the door. Oliver collapsed in one of the beanbags he had by the window. There were three. One for him, one for Tommy, and one for me. I sank into mine, and we were silent for a bit.

“Okay, hardest class this year, by far,” Oliver said, breaking the silence.

“Um...definitely AP US. I’m regretting that so much,” I said, “You?”

“Physics,” he said, “Don’t know why we need it.”

“Why do we need any of these classes?” I asked.

“You make a great point,” he said, “But you’re lucky. You’re actually good at your classes. Me...let’s just say this year is gonna be tough.”

“Don’t worry Ollie, I’ll help you,” I said. I was Oliver and Tommy’s personal tutor. Since I was the only one in our group who excelled at school, it was an unspoken rule that I helped them with all their work.

“Oh thank God,” Oliver said, and I laughed. He leaned back in the bean bag and said, “So when will Detective and Donna Lance be back?”

“In a few days,” I said, and I couldn’t wait. The car ride from my Mom’s to school every morning was hell. I had to wake up at 5 to make it each morning.

“I really am sorry, you know? About Sara and Felicity. I really hope they’re okay.”

“Yeah, me too,” I said, “I miss having them around. The house has been so empty with just me, Dad, and Donna. I never noticed how loud they were, you know? I know that kind of sounds weird, but I just never did!”

“It’s not weird. Hell, if it were Thea out there, I’d be a literal wreck. I honestly don’t know how you’re doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“Being you. The same Laurel from two weeks ago.” I shrugged, “There are too many people in my house scared out of their mind for me to lose it.”

“Any idea where they could’ve gone?” I shook my head, “They were here and then they weren’t. They pretty much up and vanished.”

“Did they say where they were going?” I nodded, 

“Some study group for their Spanish class. You know, if we’re being honest, I always found that kind of weird. The last thing Sara studied was that hot exchange student from Portugal.” Oliver chuckled, and I found myself laughing at my sister’s goofiness. My laughs disappeared as the thought that I may never see her again came back. Oliver seemed to notice my change in demeanor because he got up and slid into the beanbag with me. We’d never been this close before. Just the two of us. He wrapped one of his arms around me...he had such muscular arms. _Sara and Felicity who?_ was my first thought, but I knocked it away. The worry was still there, and anytime I tried to will it away, it would come back full force. I was really scared, but Oliver's support was definitely helping.

“The police are gonna find them. They’re gonna come home,” he said comfortingly as I leaned my head on his shoulder, “And in the meantime, I know you’re gonna be up to some awesome things. Give them something great to come home to.” I smiled, feeling comfortable in his embrace. Safe with him, I let in the thought that the police would find my sisters very, very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will take us back to Sara and Felicity, and we'll see if Laurel was right about someone finding them soon...


	8. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Year Later....

I pulled the leather jacket over my shirt and picked up the metallic baton from my bedside table. My mask was lying on the bed. I’d put it on later. There was a knock on my bedroom door. I turned and saw Felicity. She'd changed a lot since we'd ended up here. Her giant glasses were gone and replaced with contacts. Her brown hair had become a shade darker and now fell down her back, no longer in pigtails.

“You need something?” I asked.

“Nyssa is waiting downstairs. She says you’d better hurry,” Felicity said. I nodded, 

“I’ll be right there.” Felicity left the room, and I examined my reflection in the mirror. I looked at my blonde hair that no longer had bangs, my arms that had grown many pounds of muscle, and I thought of the scars that now lined my body from brutal training sessions with Nyssa and Ra’s al Ghul. But it had been worth it. I wasn’t an outsider here anymore. And today was the day. I grabbed my mask and placed it on before going to meet Nyssa.

“You’re late,” she said, and I didn’t respond. I just clutched the baton in my hand, ready for sudden attack. It happened more than anyone would want in this place. The League of Assassins. They hadn’t told Felicity and I their name until six months ago. Nyssa and I waited, highly alert, for whatever was coming our way that night.

“Now!” Nyssa shouted, and men were suddenly on all sides. I launched myself at the first guy I saw. I knocked him off balance and he was down. I heard footsteps behind me and I swung my baton. The guy fell, and with an expert flip, I avoided an attack from the third guy and whacked him in the back. Three down. I didn’t even know how many were left to go. My thoughts distracted me for half a second as another one came bearing down. I blocked him with my baton and watched him fall. I heard a slow clap as Ra’s al Ghul entered the room.

“Well done, Ta er al sahfer,” he said. He always referred to me with my League name. Him and almost everyone else. The only people who’ve called me Sara recently have been Nyssa and Felicity. But Nyssa only did when we were alone. And I’d gone full months without even seeing Felicity. Those months had been spent out of the compound. Felicity chose to always remain behind. I’d nearly forgotten about her. I just gave him a respectful nod. It was well known that one did not speak to Ra’s al Ghul unless indicated otherwise.

“And her reward?” Nyssa asked.

“As promised,” her father responded. I nearly struggled to keep my straight face. This was it, it was really happening. He told me to step forward, and made me recite the vow that what happened this past year remained here, and that I wouldn’t tell anyone. I recited the oath, meaning every word of it. Felicity was called forward. She recited the same one. I hoped she meant it too.

“Then I hereby pardon you both from the League,” Ra’s al Ghul boomed, “Your transport back to Starling City will be here within the hour.” He and his men soon dispersed. Felicity beamed at me, 

“Are you excited?” she asked. The smile on her face was the most genuine I'd seen since we'd first arrived.

“As I’ll ever be,” I replied nonchalantly as I pulled the mask off. I left to go back to my room. I didn’t have many clothes here, but I’d still pack them. My school uniform from all that time was at the back of my closet. I picked it up. I hadn’t looked at it in a long time. The one thing in here that came from home. I still remembered how scared I’d been when I’d first come here, and now, even though I was ready to go, I’d kind of miss it. Emphasis on kind of. This was a cold place, and Nyssa and Felicity being there were all that made it better. Nyssa said that my age was the biggest factor in her father pardoning me. Had I been a few years older, this would have been my home for the rest of my life. I placed all my clothes in a bag, and put my school outfit on top. I doubted it would fit now.

“Are you ready?” came Nyssa’s cool, calm voice. I turned to her and gave her a terse nod. 

“We’ll take you back to the train station when we get there if you’d like,” she said.

“Just take us to the landing strip,” I said, “Felicity and I can find our own way back.” Nyssa nodded and asked, “Are you ready?”

“For what?” I asked. Suddenly my ears were perking up, looking for sign of any more men that could be waiting to strike. Nyssa laughed, “I meant to go home. Not everything is another fight in this place.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said.

“Things will be difficult for you. People will have questions. You have to be prepared to answer them,” Nyssa said.

“I’m ready,” I said. I pulled my mask off and stuffed it in one of the bag pockets before swinging it over my shoulder.

“Your friend is downstairs. We can leave now if you’re ready.” I gave her a nod and followed her outside the compound, where Felicity was waiting by the plane. It wasn’t as big as the one we’d come here in, but it would get us safely back to Starling. The plane was a six seater, it was that small. Felicity and I sat in the middle, throwing our stuff in the back. Nyssa and the pilot were at the front. As the plane pulled out, I found myself looking at the compound. It was in a place called Nanda Parbat, in the Middle East. This plane ride was going to be long. As the plane left the ground, apprehension hit me as I thought about what my life would be like once I got home.

I hadn’t slept at all. Not once the entire way. Felicity and even Nyssa had both ended up dozing off, but I couldn’t sleep. The plane landed on the strip, and the jolt was enough to wake Felicity and Nyssa. It was night time in Starling. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to just go home. Maybe Felicity and I could stay in a motel for the night. We got out of the plane, and Nyssa stepped off with us.

“Your pardon takes away your right to League membership,” Nyssa said to me, “But, if you need to return to the compound, you are welcome to.”

“And how exactly will I contact you?” I asked. Nyssa gave me a smile, “You’ll see.” She then walked back to the plane, and Felicity ran up to me.

“What was she saying to you?” Felicity asked.

“Nothing. Let’s find somewhere to stay the rest of the night. We can go home in the morning. I don’t want to wake Dad and Donna so late.”

“Okay. Is there anywhere nearby? I’m tired.”

“You’ve been asleep for hours!” I said. Felicity shrugged, “What can I say, I’m young.” I chuckled and said, “Come on, we’ll find somewhere.” We were walking down the street when I heard a scream. I turned to Felicity and told her to hide behind some trash cans, telling her that I’d be right back. I grabbed my baton and placed my mask on before running towards the screaming. I saw a girl being thrust against the wall by men trying to hurt her. That was all I needed to see before jumping into action. These guys were ten times easier than the League. I barely needed the baton to knock all of them down. I helped the girl to her feet.

“Thank you so much,” she said.

“No woman should ever suffer at the hands of a man,” I said. I told her to go. When I was watching her go, I almost missed the guys get up. One of them would have gotten me had this really loud screech not rung through my ears. I quickly covered them. I looked up and saw a woman dressed completely in black, including a black choker around her neck, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her hair was a bright blonde and like me, she wore a black mask.

“What the hell…” I murmured. The guys, who’d all been knocked to the ground, got up in terror, and ran away. I wanted to confront that girl but she was gone as quick as she’d come.

I came back to Felicity, still very confused. I whispered to her that it was safe, and she came out, “What happened?”

“Just some guys doing shit,” I said, “Let’s go.”

“What was that sound?” she asked. I’d run for a bit after leaving Felicity, so that scream must have been pretty loud.

“I don’t know. Come on, let’s go somewhere for the night.” I kept Felicity close to me as we continued to walk down the street. There was a 24 hour b&b. That would do for the night. I pulled my mask off and broke my baton off into its two pieces before placing them in my bag. We went inside and were able to get a room for an acceptable fee. Nyssa had given me some money.

“This is pretty nice for a motel,” Felicity noted as she jumped on the bed. I was sitting down, rubbing my ears. They still kind of stung a bit from that cry.

“Yeah, we got lucky. This isn’t the best part of town,” I said, “Try to sleep. Aren’t you tired?”

“I will never sleep after that cry,” Felicity said, “How did that even happen? No one should be allowed to scream that loud.”

“I don’t know,” I said, not really wanting to talk right now.

“Do you think that maybe she was in Central City the night of the particle accelerator disaster? Maybe what happened to you happened to others.”

“Yeah maybe,” I said, thinking about what Laurel had said about the effects of the accelerator. A lot of people lived in Central City. And one of them was that blonde. I got up from the chair I’d been sitting in and hopped onto the other side of the bed. This reminded me of our first night in Nanda Parbat. We’d gotten our own rooms the next day. I switched off the tiny lamp and got under the covers. It was a little comfortable. Felicity followed suit and was out like a light. I laid awake for most of that night, thinking of my sister, and wondering what she had been up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd do a whole year jump to get the story moving along. However, flashbacks will be shown of Sara and Felicity's time with the League...


	9. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel receives a surprise in the morning

I slid into my bedroom at around 11 that night. It was easy to sneak in and out of because of the handholds on the side of the house. I took off The Canary Cry and placed it in its box under my bed. We’d renamed it from Cry to Canary Cry when news reporters began calling me ‘The Black Canary’. The name came from my screaming. I found it kind of symbolic since my first scream from a year ago had been directed at those canaries. Now I’d just started my senior year, and honestly, I was just so apathetic about all of it. I remembered how excited I’d been for junior year. I doubted I’d ever be that excited again. I slid out of the black suit and into my pajamas before taking my wig off. The wig was an extra step in hiding my identity. I let my brown hair spill out as I crawled into my bed. I might as well sleep, else Dad and Donna might worry. Dad and Donna were  _ always _ worrying. Laurel, why aren’t you sleeping? Laurel, have you been eating enough? Laurel, are your grades okay, who are you hanging out with, when will you be home, and worst of all, you are coming home, right? I wondered if all only children were questioned like this.

I’d become The Black Canary after thinking long and hard about what Oliver had said that day while we’d been sitting in the bean bags. _Do something great for Sara and Felicity to come home to_ , he'd said. So I did, and it was great, except they hadn’t come home. And I doubted they would. While the whole thing had been for them at first, I now did it for me, and the people. I believed in justice, I was the justice these people couldn’t run from. There was a knock on the door and I said, “Come in.” It was Dad.

“Hey baby, you about to fall asleep?” he asked. I nodded, “Do you need something?”

“Just checking in,” I frowned, “You never ‘just check in’. What’s wrong?” My dad sighed and said, “The police are closing the case to find Sara and Felicity.” My face paled a little. A small part of me always felt like they were gone for good, but I let the fact that the police were still looking give me hope that they’d be found, “What, why?”

“They’ve found no leads. It’s like they...vanished,” he said, struggling to keep his voice in check. I got up from my bed and wrapped him in a hug, “It’s okay Dad.”

“No, no it’s not okay,” he said as he pulled away, “I should’ve found them by now.”

“Dad, you literally said there was nothing,” I said, but he shook his head and went, “No, I should’ve...just, just go to sleep baby, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Dad!” I called as he turned to leave, but he just kept going.

I woke up early the next morning and sluggishly got ready for school. I was lazily tying my tie as I walked down the stairs when I heard a knock on the door. It was 7 AM on a Monday, so that was weird. We almost never got visitors. I grabbed an apple on the way and walked to the door. When I opened it, the apple dropped from my hand.

“Hi sis,” Sara said.

My sister and I stared at each other for a good minute. I was mostly studying how much she’d changed. The bangs were gone. Her arms had muscle, and there was just an overall change in her demeanor. Felicity had also changed. No more glasses, or pigtails. Her usual dress or skirt had been replaced with a baggy shirt and jeans. Her hair was also darker and a little stringy.

“Can we come in?” she asked. There were a million things I wanted to say to them, but all I ended up saying was, “You don’t have to ask.” I moved out of the way so they could enter. I studied them. They didn’t look like they’d been hurt, or tortured, or anything. They looked fine.

“Why don’t we ever have food?” Sara asked as she looked through the fridge. We always had food, Sara just didn’t like any of it. But I would not have food on her mind if I’d just come back after a year away.

“Eat a fruit, dumbass,” Felicity said as she got some strawberries out of the fridge.

“No thanks,” Sara said, “I’ll eat at school.”

“School?” I asked in surprise. Felicity and Sara both nodded, with Sara saying, “Teenagers go to school, sis.”

“Gosh Laurel,” Felicity said. I blinked. They’d been gone a year. A  _ full _ year. And they just expected things to go back to the way they were?

“You two are aware how long you’ve been gone, right?” I asked. They nodded, “About a year, right Sar?” Felicity asked. Sara nodded.

“Did you just call her  _ Sar _ ?” I asked. They usually only called each other dumbass, dipshit, or any other mean word they could find.

“Do you need to have a problem with everything we do?” Sara asked as she found a bag of chips from a cabinet and opened it. She offered Felicity a few. Felicity hated chips, so I was shocked when she took a handful and shoveled them down. As the two of them munched on the chips that I’d actually left in there as a snack for myself-bitches-Dad came down.

“Alright sweetie you’re driving yourself because I need to-” he started until he saw Sara and Felicity in the kitchen, “Oh my…”

“Hi Daddy,” Sara said as she put the bag down and went to give him a kiss on the cheek. He looked her and Felicity over for about a minute, “What…”

“Quentin, you forgot your…” Donna started as she came down with his badge. She saw the two girls and was left gaping.

“Hi Mom,” Felicity said with a wave before putting some more chips in her mouth. I had a feeling I’d be late to school.

I ended up not going at all, and Dad and Donna didn’t go to work. We’d taken Sara and Felicity to the doctor to make sure they were okay. Sara had been really against that, and I realized why when I stayed in the exam room with her while the doctor made her change into the gown, and she was covered in scars.

“Sara what the hell?!” I exclaimed when I saw them.

“It’s nothing,” she said, “Can you tie me up?” I tied up the gown, which allowed me to see just how bad the scars were, “What happened?”

“It’s nothing, Laurel,” she said. The doctor came into the room later. Maybe Sara would answer her questions. The exam went pretty fast until the doctor did ask Sara to drop the gown. It was then when she asked me to leave.

“Sara-” I started to argue, but she said, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” I wanted to argue, but I didn’t want to draw this out, so I just sighed and left. I joined my Dad in the waiting room.

“Is Sara done?” he asked. I shook my head, “She asked me to leave.” I sat down and leaned my head on his shoulder, “You alright sweetheart?”

“They’re hiding something, both of them,” I murmured. It was hypocritical to get on them for keeping secrets, I knew that. But I wasn’t the one who’d been gone for a year.

“They’ve been through a lot. Let’s just give ‘em some time,” he said.

“Been through what?” I asked, “They seemed completely fine. They thought they were going back to school today!”

“Laurel,” he said, “Let it go. They’re home now. Let’s just enjoy that fact before we go off making baseless accusations.” He then got up to get a cup of coffee. Baseless! Who did he think he was? He hadn’t been there with me. The exams were done about half an hour later, the doctor saying they were good to go, not even mentioning Sara’s scars. Shouldn’t a doctor tell a parent if that much damage had been done?

“Can we go home now?” Sara asked as she pulled a lightweight hoodie over her clothes. Sara hated hoodies. Then again, there were a lot of new things about Sara.

“Of course sweetheart,” Quentin said. As Sara followed Felicity and Donna out, Dad turned to me and quietly said, “Be nice to her.” I was mad. A year ago, Dad and Donna were saying that sentence to Sara! And I wasn’t even  _ being _ mean! I let out a huff and followed them out.

As the days went by, I started to grow more and more resentful of Sara. I just felt like every time she talked, she was lying. I didn’t trust her. At all. I knew secrets. I had them, a lot of them, actually. But I hadn’t been gone for a year. I didn’t come back acting like nothing happened. Or completely changed. Sara and Felicity had to test into tenth grade, or they would have to repeat freshman year. I didn’t doubt Felicity, but I honestly thought Sara would fail. She passed the frickin’ test with flying colors! Almost all her classes this year would be at an advanced level! Sara had never even _wanted_ to take advanced classes before, and now she seemed almost excited!

It wasn’t just at home where I was getting frustrated. It was going out as The Black Canary as well. Every time I went to stop somebody, there was  _ another _ girl. She dressed like me too. She was blonde, black mask, black clothes. They called her The Canary too, since she dressed like me. Where was the originality? It was annoying.

“It’s just a copycat,” Dr. Wells would say, “You should be flattered. It seems your crusade is inspiring others.” I didn’t mind being inspiring. It was just that this girl was  _ better _ . She was a trained combat fighter! All I had was a loud scream. So I asked Dr. Wells if he had someway to teach me how to fight. Maybe I’d never be as good as The Canary, but I could get closer to her level, and maybe we could help each other out, like I’d done the first day I saw her. The day before Sara came home, or as I now called it, my last day of somewhat normal. Dr. Wells recommended Ted Grant. He was my age, a boxer. And he knew what he was doing. Maybe one day I’d get on this girl’s level. Or at least find out who she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sara and Felicity are officially back! We'll see what their plans are in the next chapter...


	10. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Felicity return to school, and Sara receives an unexpected surprise

I was woken up by Felicity shaking me awake. I rolled over and clutched my comforter, to which Felicity responded to by pulling my covers off of me.

“Time to get up,” she said in a loud voice that I would have rolled my eyes at had they not been still closed.

“I don’t wanna,” I said. At the League, we only did things at night, so I was still pretty used to doing whatever I wanted during the day. Felicity pushed me out of bed and I landed on the hardwood. That was  _ not _ very comfortable.

“You fucking dipshit,” I grumbled as Felicity beamed at me. How I hated her sometimes, “Okay, I’m getting up.” I pulled myself off from the ground and went into the bathroom to get ready. When I was done, Felicity was still out there waiting for me.

“I didn’t want to go downstairs by myself,” she said.

“Why? I don’t think they bite,” I said as I pulled my boots on. I then shrugged the blazer off and replaced it with a gray zip up hoodie Nyssa had given me.

“Don’t you have to wear that?” Felicity asked, pointing to the blazer. I shrugged, “If they ask, I’ll play the gone for a year card.” Felicity and I had been back a week, and that card worked for everything. Even cutting the lunch line!

“They’re not going to let you use that forever,” Felicity warned.

“Nope, but they are now and I’m going to enjoy it,” I said as I grabbed my backpack from the ground, “Can we go now?” She nodded and said, “Lead the way.” We went downstairs to see my Dad watching the news, Laurel putting some notebooks in her bag, and Donna getting milk out of the fridge. Dad gave me a warm smile and said there were eggs and bacon. Felicity didn’t need to be asked twice to eat. I walked over to my sister to say hi. We weren’t talking as much as we used to and I wanted to get back to that. She looked really tired.

“Long night?” I asked. She jumped like I’d just attacked her before asking, “What?” She looked flustered, disorganized, and just, not Laurel-like.

“I asked if you were up late,” I said.

“Oh, uh, no, sorry I just need to…” she trailed off, not finishing. Well, that was odd. I went to my Dad and asked, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, just busy,” he said. I frowned. She wasn’t even lining her binders up correctly. Blue came after red, not green! Laurel could handle busy. This was something else.

“Hey look, it’s those blonde girls again,” Donna said, pointing to the TV. Felicity and I gave each other a discrete look before focusing on the screen. It was filmed from last night, well technically this morning, at 3 AM. I hadn’t gotten home until 4. I was so tired. The shot showed me first, and, not to sound too full of myself, but I did not need any help from that screaming bitch who showed up two minutes later. Sure, she’d taken care of one guy who’d almost gotten me, but I was trained by the worst of the worst. I could handle myself.

“Well this is just great,” Dad grumbled. I frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Starling City hasn’t had vigilante problems in years,” he said. I frowned, “Vigilante? It looks like they’re trying to help.”

“Maybe so, but beating up guys and shattering their eardrums isn’t exactly truth, justice, and the American way.”

“So would you arrest them, if you caught them?” I asked.

“If it came to it,” Dad said, and Felicity and I gave each other a panicked look.

“How long would they go to jail for?” Felicity asked. He shrugged, “Depends on the natures of their crimes, but according to the state of their current cases, 5 to 10 years at least.” My eyes widened. Were my methods  _ that _ illegal?

“Dad, can you drive today? I’m really tired,” Laurel said, changing the subject fast. Quentin nodded and said, “Sure, go get in the car.” He picked up the remote and was about to switch off the TV, and I said, “I wanna watch it.”

“You shouldn’t be watching these kinds of things. All bad influences,” Quentin said. I winced. That kind of hurt.

“But why?” I asked. I immediately regretted that when my Dad gave me a harsh stare.

“Because it’s people like these that are encouraging impressionable minds, like yourself, that you’re above the law.”

“And we don’t need to go outside the law to find justice,” Laurel said in annoyance, “Can we go to school now?” I was surprised. When it came to that saying, Laurel and Dad preached it to me like I was a hardened criminal. Now she was saying it with as much annoyance as she had with me when she had to explain algebra for the fourth time.

“You guys should get going. No need to be late,” Donna said, clearly wanting to put an end to the tension in the kitchen. She also switched the TV off.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Dad said, still frowning at Laurel and me. I walked to the car, feeling very apprehensive. What if he figured out it was me?

All my classes were a haze. I was barely paying attention to anything the teachers had to say, which was fine, since no one called on me anyways. I was nearing sleep during Spanish, so I raised my hand and asked if I could use the bathroom so I could walk around for a bit. Once I left the classroom, I considered just leaving the building. The only classes I had left were lunch, math, and study hall. But that wouldn’t be wise. They’d tell Dad, I’d get in trouble, and considering I was sneaking out of the house every night, I didn’t need him keeping a closer eye on me. I was just walking through the halls when I heard a familiar voice that stopped me in my tracks. It was a girl, asking where her locker was. But I knew the voice like I knew my name. I followed the voice to a different hallway and yup, I was right. It was Nyssa Al Ghul.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her after the principal left her to open her locker and put some stuff in.

“I need to keep an eye on you,” she said, “Make sure you aren’t saying too much.”

“I haven’t, and I’m not planning to,” I said, “You don’t need to be here.”

“Oh trust me, I do,” Nyssa said. She opened the locker, and looked inside before saying, “I’ve never been to a high school. I learned the same way you did in the League.”

“You’ve had those hard ass tutors your whole life?” I asked, thinking about the schooling Felicity and I had gotten most nights. Nyssa was actually Laurel’s age, so if she got the same schooling, it wouldn’t have been with us.

“Oh yes,” she said, “It was worse when I was younger, but you know how we work,” she said, and I nodded.

“I don’t think you should be here, but I am interested to see what you’d be like in high school,” I said. Nyssa frowned, “Why?”

“Because people are telling you what to do, you have homework, there are school events they expect you to go to. It’s all too much, even for me.”

“I think I’ll manage,” Nyssa said, “But, I do have a question.” She pulled out a paper from her pocket and unfolded it. It was her schedule, “How do I get here?”

I found Felicity during lunch and explained what happened. In normal Felicity fashion, she started freaking out.

“What if she tells someone about where we were?”

“She’s not gonna do that. She’s here to make sure  _ we  _ don’t say anything.”

“Well we won’t, can she leave now?” Felicity asked in frustration. She’d never been a big fan of Nyssa. She  _ had _ kidnapped us.

“I don’t know. I think she  _ wants _ to be here,” I said.

“Why? It’s a high school. Who would willingly put themselves here?” I laughed, “She’s Nyssa. Nothing about her is normal.”

“True that,” Felicity grumbled, “I’m about to move back to Vegas. This whole League and vigilante stuff is too much.”

“Oh please, you love it,” I said. And I wasn’t lying. While we’d been in Nanda Parbat, Felicity was eager to do everything. She had no internet connection, which drove her crazy at first, but she was soon always trying to find a way to help with missions, no matter how illegal. And all missions were illegal, it was just a matter of how illegal they were.

“Maybe. I just thought we’d be free from it when we got home,” Felicity said.

“We’ll never be free,” I murmured. Felicity frowned and asked, 

“You okay?” I nodded, 

“Yup, just thinking.”

“Did your Dad upset you this morning when he called you a criminal?” Felicity asked.

“He wasn’t calling  _ me _ a criminal. He was calling The Canary one. I’m just Sara Lance, regular sixteen year old girl.”

“Who’s been gone for a year, and came back right when The Canary started showing up. I’m sure there’s no suspicion there.” I gave her a light hearted shove and said, “I’m not worried.” Though the truth was, I was very worried indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa is around to stay for now, and she may enjoy Starling City more than she thinks. Next chapter will see Laurel, and if she's let go of her growing suspicions...


	11. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel spends some time at a S.T.A.R. Labs

I entered S.T.A.R. Labs after my night time shift completely exhausted. With school, college applications, extracurriculars, two more people in the house to take care of, and being the Black Canary, I had no time to sleep. 

“Dr. Wells, I’m back!” I called. He was usually the only one here at this time. It was nearing 2:30 in the morning. He wheeled out from a back room and said, “Welcome back Ms. Lance. Good night I hope.”

“Actually yeah, not bad.” It had been a simple night. One robbery, some kid stuck in a tree, not their cat, the actual kid, and best of all, no interference from that other Canary.

“Well then you should be heading home then,” he said, “It’s too late for someone of your age to still be out and about.”

“I can handle it,” I said.

“May I ask how your sister is?”

“She’s good, settling back in just fine,” I said, “How’s Barry?” He’d woken from his coma a couple months ago. But that wasn’t all. He had incredible speed. He was 14 and he ran faster than anybody in the world. He, like me, had been hit by the dark matter, in a different way of course. Considering both Barry and I were working with S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Wells hoped that others hit by the dark matter would come to him. 

“As chipper as ever. He’s already completely back to normal. For a guy like him, I mean.”

“Hopefully things go that way with my sister,” I said as I sat down to take a breather. I tried not to get too comfortable. Otherwise I would end up going to sleep.

“Being gone for some time changes things,” Dr. Wells said, “And you can try to create a semblance of normal, but you know it will never be the same.”

“That’s what scares me,” I murmured. I then stood up, though since I was still so tired, I shook a little. Dr. Wells frowned, “Maybe you should stay the night.”

“I’m fine,” I said, but my loud yawn didn’t help.

“Ms. Lance, I strongly advise you don’t drive tonight,” Dr. Wells said. I shook my head, “I need to get home, or people will worry.” As he rifled through the drawers for something, I changed out of my suit into the clothes I’d come here in. I yawned again as I reached for my bag. Just as my hand grabbed the keys, I felt something poke me, and then I was out.

I woke up to sun streaming through the window. I was laying on my back, so I rolled over to see my surroundings. I was filled with panic when I realized I was lying in a hospital bed in S.T.A.R. Labs. I quickly shot up. My bag was by the bed so I opened it up and checked the time. It was past noon! On a Thursday! I was so dead. I was surprised I didn’t have any concerned calls and texts from Dad and Donna or a note from the school. I grabbed my bag and left the room. Dr. Wells and Ramon were both in the main room, working.

“What the hell did you do to me?” I asked Dr. Wells angrily.

“Ah, Ms. Lance,” he said, completely unnerved, “I hope you slept well.”

“You gave me something,” I accused, “What was it?”

“Just a simple sleep injection,” he said, “And you clearly needed it. You’ve been asleep for over ten hours.”

“Yeah, and I am incredibly late to school, and my detective father probably already organized a search party. My sisters have been missing for a year!”

“Relax,” Dr. Wells said, “I called your school and said you were doing an independent study at S.T.A.R. Labs, then I called your father and said you had to be here at 6 o’clock.” That explained why I didn’t have a bunch of worried calls.

“You’re welcome to leave if you’d like,” Dr. Ramon said, “Or we can run some more tests and you can help us out in the labs today.” That didn’t sound too bad.

“Okay,” I said, “Show me what to do.”

I spent the next three hours with Dr. Ramon, and it was actually really fun. It was also cool I got to play hooky, since I’d never done that before. By the time Cisco and Caitlin came, I was ready to go home and get some homework done before I had to do my Black Canary stuff. According to Wells’ radar, there would be more work tonight since I’d be operating in Starling. I tended to alternate cities each night.

“Aww, you’re not gonna stay? I had some new suit ideas I wanted to show you,” Cisco complained when he saw me getting my keys out of my bag.

“New suit? What’s wrong with the one I have?”

“It looks too much like that new girl’s,” Caitlin said, “Cisco’s been working hard on a white suit. It’s actually not that bad.”

“A white suit? So I’d be like the White Canary?” I asked.

“You don’t have to take it. But you should see it first,” Cisco said.

“Maybe later, I need to get home,” I said. I didn’t understand why I had to change my costume. I had it first! The new girl could get a new suit.

“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Cisco said, and I got a little sad when I noticed how down he sounded. I made a mental note to myself to ask to see it later. I liked Cisco, I just didn’t want to be replaced by this new girl. And the new suit would do that. When I arrived home a few hours later, I came in to an empty house. There was a note from Donna that said they’d gone out to dinner. They said they’d bring back something for me. I checked the clock. It was 5:45! They could’ve waited!

“Well I feel loved,” I murmured. I went upstairs to throw my bag on my bed. As I passed Sara’s room, a thought came to me. She wasn’t here. I could check it. If she was hiding something, it had to be in her room. The only thing stopping me from going in was my morals. I didn’t want to invade her privacy. I doubted Sara went through my room when I was gone. But I was so curious. And I would only be taking a small look. I slowly stepped into her room, dropping my bag by the door. I didn’t know why this felt so weird. I was in here all the time. I looked around. Her bed was unmade as usual, clothes were all around the floor, and her desk was a mess.

“Still looks the same,” I murmured. I kicked some of her dirty clothes around to see if anything was under them, but she just hadn’t put them away. I looked through her desk. It was mostly just homework papers and old notes that she’d been using. I made a face when I saw the big, red, A plus on one of her Math tests. Well good for you Sara, good for you. After I checked her bed, I realized I still hadn’t checked the bathroom or closet. I checked the bathroom first. I was going through drawers filled with things like toothpaste and pads when I found something out of the ordinary. It was scar cream.

“For advanced treatment of damaging scar tissue,” I murmured, reading the label. It had been prescribed by the doctor, only Sara had told our Dad and Donna that the doctor hadn’t prescribed anything. That she’d been fine. I remembered seeing those scars, so I knew Sara needed the cream, but why wasn’t she letting anyone know? I put the scar cream back where I’d taken it and closed the drawer. Once I was done with the bathroom I went to the closet. I sifted through her old clothes and some of her new ones, but there was nothing hidden. I noticed that the wall on the back of the closet was kind of...peeled. I knocked on it. It was hollow. I reached down to pick at the peeling wall when an accusatory voice snapped, “What are you doing?!” I whirled around and saw Sara glaring at me with her arms crossed.

“I thought you were gone,” I said, mentally kicking myself for it.

“And I thought you were at an Independent Study,” she said.

“It ended. I just got back,” I said. That wasn’t a lie. Sara came into the closet and asked, “Were you looking for something?”

“Uh yeah. I think I might have thrown in some of my clothes with yours so I was just checking to see,” I lied.

“You were peeling away my wallpaper to look for clothes?” I bit my lip, unable to find an answer to that. Felicity came in and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Laurel was just leaving,” Sara said in a particularly haughty tone that I was not very fond of, “What are you hiding from me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” my sister said, rising on her tiptoes a bit so we could be at eye level.

“Oh yeah,” I said, walking into the bathroom. I pulled out the scar cream and asked, “Then what is this? How come the doctor never told Dad she prescribed it to you?”

“It’s scar cream Laurel, not hard drugs. Get over it,” Sara said, snatching the bottle away from me.

“Yeah, for scars that a doctor would usually tell the parent of a minor about. I left you alone with the doctor. What did you say to her?”

“Nothing, and what I talk about in my private appointments isn’t your concern!” She faltered a bit. I could hear it. Now I knew she was lying.

“I’m onto you,” I said before turning away from her and leaving the room. I grabbed my bag and went to my room, throwing it on my bed. One thing was for certain. Sara had a secret, and now I wanted to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laurel's had enough, and Sara might be starting to feel a little worried...next chapter will have more Canaries with their first real mission


	12. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara faces her first big challenge in town

I closed the door behind Laurel before giving Felicity a scared look, “Maybe we do need Nyssa to look after us.”

“You think?! You better find a new place for that suit of yours because she was so close to ripping off that wall paper!”

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, “You’ll blow our cover!”

“Our cover is about to be blown either way!” Felicity whisper-yelled. As I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to think, she said, “Ra’s al Ghul only let us leave with the condition that no one would know. I really don’t feel like being taken back there to live the rest of my life as a prisoner on Nanda Parbat!”

“Would you shut up, we wouldn’t be their prisoners,” Felicity let out a sigh of relief, “We’d be killed the day we arrived.”

“What the-” Felicity started to snap until the door opened and Dad poked his head in, “Is everything okay in here?”

“Yeah Dad, we’re fine,” I lied. He gave us a smile and was soon gone. Once he left I made sure the door was shut before going, “I’ll move the suit. That way if Laurel looks again, then she won’t find it there.”

“Okay, and then what? Not finding anything won’t stop her suspicion.”

“Yeah, I realized,” I said. I let out a sigh, “God, when did things get so complicated? I keep forgetting I’m still supposed to be a kid.”

“You’re telling me. It’s getting really hard to focus in math class when all I can think about is how I helped a man who is the literal demon send out his soldiers to kill people.”

“We’ve done some unforgivable things. I can agree with that,” I said.

“Yeah no kidding,” Felicity said, “What if Laurel finds out? Do you think she’d tell your Dad or my Mom? What would they say?”

“Hey don’t worry. Laurel’s not gonna figure out anything,” I said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder when I noticed her start to tear up a bit, “We’re gonna be just fine.”

A few nights later I found myself at home by myself for the first time in a while. Dad had an emergency at work, Laurel was at her independent study in Central City, and Donna and Felicity had gone out. I’d been invited, but declined on the fact that a night with Felicity and Donna did not sound all that appealing. Not that I’d said that aloud. I’d finished my homework, so I decided I’d go to the living room and watch TV. I hopped on the couch and switched it on. It was on the Nature channel, so I used the remote to flip through channels for something interesting. I’d been flipping for a while when a News site stopped me. I raised the volume.

“The whole building is under lockdown due to a hostage situation. Inside there are some customers of the bank, and some members of the SCPD,” the reporter said. My dad had gone to a bank. That had been his emergency!

“Oh shit,” I said before jumping off of the couch to go put my suit on.

I slowly crept up the alleyway. I had the building in sight. There were a bunch of police cars and ambulances crowded outside. This wasn’t my usual scene.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a low voice said. I turned around and saw Nyssa, dressed in her full League outfit.

“I came for my father. He’s in there,” I said.

“You can’t just walk in there, like that,” Nyssa said, “They’ll arrest you for sure, and if Daddy Dearest gets out, he’ll have to hire a lawyer to make sure you don’t spend the next couple of years rotting in a jail cell in juvenile hall.”

“Well aren’t you specific,” I said. Nyssa gave me a look and said, “I will help you Sara, but we’ll do this my way.”

“And that is?” I asked. She gave me a smile and I knew I wasn’t gonna like it.

I hadn’t liked it. I hadn't liked it one bit. Her way included scaling the side of the building, smashing a window, and then crawling in. I would no longer agree to Nyssa’s way. The building definitely had tons of fucking back doors that would have been way more efficient!

“Alright now what?” I asked grumpily once my feet were on the ground. Nyssa chuckled, “Patience Sara. We will fight soon.”

“I didn’t come to fight. I came to get my Dad,” I said.

“Oh, you always come to fight. I’ve seen that with you,” Nyssa said.

“Is that good or bad?” She shrugged, “Depends. Keep your cool while we are in here. I’ve seen instances in which you’ve been too violent.”

“Oh yeah, like when?” I challenged.

“You don’t want an answer to that right now. Let’s go,” Nyssa said, and walked out of the room. I huffed and followed her. She told me to remain stealthy.

“I  _ am _ being stealthy!” I attempted to whisper, but it came out as a snap.

“Not with that volume,” she said. We heard walking so she immediately pressed me against the wall with her arm. She had really strong arms. Luckily, the person didn’t come down the hallway, so we were able to proceed. We crept along the hallways until I was sure I heard my Dad’s voice coming from down the hall.

“Nyssa,” I whispered, “They’re down there.” Nyssa told me stay back while she went to investigate. When I heard a scream and some shots fired, I knew I had to intervene. I ran forward and caught Nyssa in a locked battle with a masked women with a crossbow, who had two accomplices with guns. I saw my Dad, and was about to go to him when a guy with a gun came at me. I launched myself into combat mode and started to fight back. Nyssa and I were going good until the girl fired her crossbow into my leg. I let out a grunt and fell. Once I was on the ground, the guy abandoned me. I reached for the arrow, and easily pulled it out, but it hurt like hell. I struggled back to my feet, but I couldn’t keep balanced. Nyssa shook her head at me.

“No, I can do this,” I said quietly, mostly to myself. Nyssa shaking her head was Nyssa language for ‘pull yourself out of this fight right now!’ I lifted my baton and knocked the back of the guy’s head. He fell, and I was able to grab his gun. I was hurting so bad, but I needed to get my Dad out of the ties. I went over to him and said, “You’re safe now.” The voice modulator Nyssa had gifted me with months ago did wonders. Once my Dad was free I felt another wave of pain as another arrow entered the same spot. I fell to the ground. I looked around. I could see Nyssa fighting, completely overwhelmed by the girl and her other goon, so she wouldn’t help. And my Dad was gone. Wow, thanks a lot Dad. I tried to pull myself up, but that arrow had done it. I heard the guy come back. He took the gun from me and I heard him pull the trigger. Oh shit. But before he could pull it, a loud cry rang through my ears.

Windows shattered, people screamed in shock, and my eardrums felt like they were bursting because I felt too weak to cover my ears. The screaming stopped, and I was able to make out the other Canary. She knocked the guy who was fighting Nyssa to his feet, and gave him a few extra kicks before grabbing his gun, unloading it, and tossing it out the window. Her fighting style had improved a lot. The girl with the crossbow was going strong, but now, since the other guy was gone, Nyssa easily overpowered her. The other Canary had already gotten to work freeing the other hostages, so I decided to do the same. I hauled myself to my feet the best I could and started to undo the ties of the people around me. The arrow was still embedded in my leg, so I did my best to ignore it, though people were giving me weird looks.

I noticed the girl turn to me. I pulled the arrow back out of my leg. I was ready for her . As she lunged towards me, I stuck the arrow right into her side. She let out a cry as blood started to pour out. She fell to the ground with a satisfying thump. It was at that moment when there was a thundering of footsteps and my dad barged back in with a team of officers. The other Canary gave me a look before jumping out the window before one of the guards could get to her. As the girl and the men were arrested, I noticed that an officer was coming towards me. Nyssa came out of nowhere and was dragging me away. We were soon out of the room and away from the cops.

“So is that the usual success we get when we do things your way?” I asked as we exited through one of the backdoors that Nyssa had only agreed to because it was clear that my leg needed medical attention.

“Shut up,” she said. As we continued to walk, well, she walked, I limped, she said, “You did good out there. You were a little distracted, but still good.”

“Thanks, you too,” I said, still quite pleased with myself for my arrow attack. The first lesson Ra’s al Ghul had taught me was to use my enemy’s force against them. And it had worked.

“Come to where I am staying,” Nyssa said, “I will fix your leg up then take you home.” I nodded. That sounded good. Nyssa was staying in a small trailer in the Glades. As she fixed me up, I was reminded of my first night in Nanda Parbat. After she was done, I went home, sliding in through my window so my Dad wouldn’t see the suit. I changed quickly and hid the suit before crawling under the covers and falling into a peaceful sleep. My best ever since I'd come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked my lil inclusion of Helena! She won't be a major player in this story but I thought it would be cool to put her in. Next chapter will see Laurel dealing with the aftermath.


	13. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel has to take an emergency trip to S.T.A.R. Labs

My landing after jumping out of that building hadn’t been all that great and now my entire side was cut up and bruised, and my arm was in excruciating pain, but it was worth it knowing my Dad was safe. I didn’t feel like driving all the way back to S.T.A.R. Labs, so I changed in my car before driving home. I parked my car in the driveway and stepped out, grunting a little from the pain. I continued up to the porch and walked through the door.

“There you are!” Felicity exclaimed when she saw me, “Did you hear what happened at the law office?!”

“No, what?” I lied as I sat down at the table.

“Some crazy psycho named Helena Bertinelli was holding a bunch of people hostage since she wanted the police to give her her Dad so she could kill him! Isn’t that crazy?!” I was guessing Helena was the girl with the crossbow who’d shot that other Canary girl twice.

“What happened to her?”

“She was arrested after those two Canary girls came in.” My Dad came over and said, “Actually, it was my officers who stopped her. But I have to admit, those Canary girls or whatever did save my life.” A small smile formed on my lips. That was the first good thing my Dad had said about me and that other girl.

“Where’s Sara?” I asked.

“She’s asleep,” Felicity said. I was pretty tired too, and sleep sounded tempting, but I was also so hungry! I hadn’t eaten since lunch and it was nearing ten.

“Dad, do we have food?” I asked. Felicity perked up and said, “Oh yeah Quentin, do we?”

“You already ate!” came Donna’s voice from the living room. Quentin chuckled and said, “Let’s see...we have some pasta. Sound good?” Felicity and I nodded, “Okay, I’ll call you when it’s ready.” Felicity got up to go watch TV, but Donna made her turn it off because it was late.

“But Mom, I wanna watch the news report about tonight,” Felicity whined. I supported her by saying, “Yeah Donna, I want to watch it too.” She sighed and went, “Ten minutes. If it’s not off by then there will be consequences.” She left the room and Felicity gave me a grateful smile as I hopped on the couch next to her and raised the volume.

“People are wondering whether to love or fear the vigilantes known as The Canaries,” the reporter, “After an incident at the Starling City courthouse, a hostage situation ended with zero fatalities after the intervention of these vigilantes, however, there have been complaints by said hostages about the methods these vigilantes used to rescue them.” They showed clips of my Canary Cry shattering the windows, and people covering their ears in pain. I winced. The Canary Cry didn’t affect me, but I hadn’t even thought about other people. Or property. It then showed the other Canary jamming that arrow in Helena’s side. I’d secretly thought that was badass.

“This is so stupid,” Felicity said, “They should be thanking them, not criticizing them.”

“I know, right!” I exclaimed, thankful Felicity and I could agree. The news reporter went on and on about all the damage the other girl and I had caused, but not one thank you. Rude!

“Girls, turn that off!” Donna yelled from upstairs just as Dad said the pasta was ready. I turned off the TV and followed Felicity to the kitchen. Dad gave us our food before going upstairs to call it a night.

“So are you really studying at S.T.A.R. Labs?” Felicity asked as she twirled pasta around her fork. I was a little confused by her question at first until I remembered that my new cover was Independent Study.

“Uh yeah. It’s really fun, I love it,” I said. That wasn’t a lie. On some days I would actually work with Dr. Wells, and it wasn’t bad. Though Cisco and Caitlin were always trying to prove how they were smarter than me. They seemed like friends Felicity would have. But if I introduced them, they might reveal my secret, and that couldn’t happen.

“I’ve always wanted to visit there. Even though they lost pretty much all of their employees after the accelerator exploded.” I’d always wondered what things had been like before the accident. Dr. Wells and Dr. Ramon were the only employees left.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” I said. I shifted my arm as it started to sting again before saying, “So what have you and Sara been up to these days?”

“You know, stuff,” Felicity answered. I didn’t expect much of an answer from her since I cornered Sara that day, but it saddened me how Felicity seemed to shut down around me. The two of us had never really had a conversation since she and Sara had come home. Felicity then noticed my sleeve had rode up and said, “Dude, your arm is  _ real _ swollen.” I looked at her and realized she was right. I quickly covered it and went, “Yeah, I hurt it at school. I was clumsy.”

“You should get that checked out,” Felicity observed as she finished her pasta, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you,” I said, and Felicity put her plate away before going upstairs. After she was gone, I pulled my sleeve up and winced at my red, swollen arm. I’d definitely need to get that checked tomorrow. Only if I went to the hospital, they’d call Dad, and he’d ask questions. I was conflicted, until I realized, I could just get taken care of at S.T.A.R. Labs! They’d treated Barry for nine months, a swollen arm wouldn’t be much of a problem. I finished my late dinner before heading upstairs for the night. I fell asleep the minute I was under the covers.

“And once it goes orange, you’re gliding free,” Tommy said to me as he taught me how to play Mario Kart during lunch that day. Oliver was talking with some girls, and both Tommy and I were just kind of there, so he was playing video games, and I was draped lazily over the side of one of our school’s lounge chairs. My arm hurt so badly, and so did my side. I barely felt like walking.

“Looks great Tommy,” I said as I watched his character go from 3rd to 1st place, a standing that didn’t last long, since he was soon hit with one of those blue shells. The bell rang for class, and Oliver and his little girlfriends were able to get up and go, but as I pushed myself up, I gasped in pain and shot right back down.

“Laurel, you okay?” Tommy asked as he pulled me to my feet, though I needed to be supported by him. I shook my head.

“Tommy, I don’t, I don’t feel…” I stuttered out, but my words just trailed off. Oliver turned and gave the two of us a concerned look, but Tommy told them we were fine and to keep going. After they were gone, he said, “Let’s get you to the nurse. They’ll let you go home after that.”

“I can’t,” I said.

“Sure you can, I’ll take you,” Tommy said. I shook my head, “Tommy, I need you to take me to your car. We need to go somewhere.”

“Where?” he asked.

“We have to go to S.T.A.R. Labs,” I said, “And we need to go now.”

Tommy also didn’t have his own car so we needed to take mine. I fumbled for my keys and gave them to him. He put me in the front seat before closing the door and getting into the driver’s seat. He put the keys in and as he pulled out he asked, “Why do we need to go to Central City?”

“I’ll expla…” I trailed off so he stopped asking questions. I wasn’t shocked that he didn’t mind ditching school. Tommy hated school. Me on the other hand, I was in for it. But I didn’t care, I just needed the pain to stop. We got on the main road and I noticed the car go faster as I slowly started to slip out of consciousness. I was out for most of the ride. When my eyes finally reopened, Tommy was opening the door and taking my seatbelt off for me.

“Laurel, you there?” he asked. I slowly nodded. I felt him take me gently, and I was leaning on his shoulder as we walked into the building. Dr. Wells and Dr. Ramon were in the lobby, so they saw me instantly.

“Dear God,” Dr. Wells said, “Ramon, get a gurney!” Dr. Ramon looked faster than Barry as he went to get one, and before I knew it, he and Tommy were lifting me and placing me on a gurney that was rolled to the back room. Once I stopped rolling, I blacked out.

As my eyes flickered open, I heard some beeping, and was a little confused at my surroundings. As my vision cleared, I noticed Tommy asleep on a chair. I looked around and saw an IV feeding into my left arm, and a white cast was wrapped around my right one.

“Tommy?” I asked groggily. He was up in a second and at my bedside, “Hey, it’s alright. You’re gonna be fine,” he said.

“What happened?” I asked. He sighed and said, “You broke your arm, there was some internal bleeding in your side, and you have a 103 fever.”

“I feel cold,” I murmured. He pulled the blanket higher up so it covered more of my body before going to get me a glass of water. Dr. Wells wheeled into the room and said, “Ah Ms. Lance. It’s good to see you awake.”

“Too bad I don’t feel that good,” I said as I leaned back on the bed. Dr. Wells gave me a small smile before his expression changed as he said, “Ms. Lance, to calm your friend of his worries about your injuries, we had to give him a little insight on the situation.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean that Tommy Merlyn knows that you are The Black Canary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been reading!


	14. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara's accidental slip up leads to a revelation

Felicity and I were waiting outside for my Dad to get us. Laurel was supposed to drive us home, but she’d up and disappeared with Tommy Merlyn, so now we had to wait.

“Will he be here soon?” Felicity asked.

“He said 30 minutes,” I said, “45 minutes ago.” Felicity groaned and said, “Can’t we just walk home?” I laughed, “We were gone for a year, he won’t let us.”

“Why does Laurel choose today to cut class?” Felicity whined as she rolled on the ground on her back.

“Who the hell knows?” I murmured. It pissed me off how Laurel was getting suspicious of me when she was the one doing weird shit like doing an Independent Study at a science laboratory when she wanted to go to Law School.

“Is that him?” Felicity asked hopefully when a car that looked like ours drove up, but it wasn’t ours. We both groaned. I got a text from my Dad.

“My Dad says we should go inside because it might be another hour,” I said before snapping my phone shut, “Yippy Skippy.”

“Can we please walk?” Felicity asked, “I’m tired.”

“He will kill us,” I said, “Just wait it out, it’ll be fine.” Though as time passed, I wished I’d said yes because I was getting bored.

“Sara, what are you still doing here?” I turned and saw Nyssa.

“We’re waiting for my Dad,” I said. She nodded before asking, “How is your leg?” I looked down to my leg. Our uniform was a skirt, so the top of the bandage was visible, peeking out of the long boots I’d had to compensate with.

“Better. I had a small limp today, but nothing worse than that,” I said.

“I’m glad to hear it. I would keep off the streets for a while if I were you.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” I said.

“You say that now,” Nyssa said. She reached into her bag and pulled out some more bandages, “Reapply this every night. It will help.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking them from her and putting them in my backpack. Nyssa then left, and Dad showed up ten minutes later.

“I thought I told you two to go inside,” he said as we climbed in.

“We didn’t want to,” I said flippantly. My Dad gave me a glare before saying, “Laurel didn’t show up for class after lunch. You know where she is?”

“Nope,” Felicity said, and I added, “Oliver said she left with Tommy.”

“Ugh. The Merlyn kid just might be worse than the Queen kid. She needs new friends,” my Dad grumbled as he got on the road. He drove us home and said he needed to head back to work, telling us not to leave the house or answer the door.

“Donna should be home in an hour. There’s money to order food. Call me if Laurel comes.”

“Okay, bye Dad,” I said. He drove away soon after.

“Alright Fel, what should we do today?” I asked as I flopped back on the couch, kicked my boot off, and rested my throbbing leg on the coffee table.

“You’re gonna stop calling me Fel, and I’m gonna find an old sitcom to watch,” Felicity said as she grabbed the remote.

“M’kay,” I said as I rested my head on one of our incredibly comfortable couch pillows. I was asleep by the time Felicity found a show.

When I woke up, Felicity was eating Big Belly Burger and Dad, Donna, and Laurel still hadn’t come home yet. Felicity had gotten one of those big things of fries that I loved, so I took the box and started to eat them while watching whatever Felicity had on TV.

“Did you not get the milkshakes?” I asked around a fry. Laurel and I would always dip our fries into the black and white milkshakes.

“Your Dad didn’t leave enough,” Felicity said. I sighed. It just wasn’t Big Belly Burger without the milkshakes. I heard the door open and saw Donna come in.

“Hi guys!” she said happily. Felicity and I gave her a wave. She came into the living room and said, “You know, you could try something a little healthier.”

“Nah,” Felicity and I both said. Suddenly Donna gasped and I realized that my leg was splayed out for the world to see, “Oh honey what happened?”

“Oh, it’s, it’s nothing,” I said, lowering my leg to the ground. Shit, how could I be so stupid!

“Nothing! Let me see,” Donna said in a no-nonsense voice that I didn’t want to argue with. I lifted my leg back up and allowed Donna to take a look. She peeled away the bandage and gaped at the giant wound that was under it, “Sara Lance what happened?!”

“I tripped over something at school,” I said as Donna rewrapped the bandage around the wound. Donna shook her head, “That is a puncture wound. A trip wouldn’t have done as much damage. So tell me, what happened?!” Felicity and I were both lost for words. 

“It really isn’t that bad,” I said, my voice coming out smaller than intended.

“Well it needs stitches, so get in the car. The clinic won’t close for another couple of hours,” Donna said as she got up.

“I assure you, that’s not necessary,” I said.

“Oh it is,” she said, “Now turn the TV off and be out in the car in five minutes.” She turned to leave the room, and Felicity and I gave each other panicked looks.

“Well way to go,” Felicity grumbled as she got up to throw the food away. I pulled my boot back on and sat up, holding my fries since I wasn’t done with them.

“I’ll ask Donna to wait outside. I’ll fabricate a story and that’ll be it,” I said. Felicity shook her head, “She’s not gonna leave your side once we get there. I’ve seen that panic before. It’s not good.”

“Then we’ll figure something else out there. Come on, she’s waiting.”

The ride to the doctor’s office had been tense. Donna hadn’t said a word, and Felicity had just stared out the window while I shoveled fries in my mouth. When we got there, I panicked because I hadn’t thought of a way to be alone in the exam room. The three of us got out of the car and went inside the clinic. Donna wrote my name down, and we were told to sit and wait. I was hoping that we’d be sitting in silence in the waiting room, but that was not the case.

“Are you gonna tell me what happened now?” Donna asked. I was sitting between her and Felicity, and they were both giving me pretty harsh stares, though Felicity’s was more of concern, and Donna...well she just looked pissed. I just studied my feet, waiting for my name to be called.

“Sara Lance,” the doctor said, and I tried not to sigh as I stood up, tossing my empty thing of fries in the trashcan by the exam room door. We walked inside, and the doctor told me to sit on the table while Felicity and Donna sat in the chairs. Well, Felicity sat. Donna remained standing so she could hear what the doctor said and see what she did. She looked at my wound and said they definitely needed to stitch it up, “Want to tell me how you got hurt?”

“Not really,” I said, and Donna gave me a glare. I felt a small burst of pride when the doctor didn’t ask any more questions. She just got her suture and thread out and started to sew me up. She finished in 10 minutes and then replaced the bandage.

“You should replace the bandage every night. I can get you-” the doctor started, but I interrupted her by saying, “I have some at home.” Donna raised an eyebrow at me, and I avoided her gaze. I didn’t need her judgement.

“Alright, then you are good to go,” the doctor said.

“Great,” I said before jumping off the table. Donna was still looking at me with suspicion, and I ignored her as I left the exam room. Once we were back in the car, I knew that it wouldn’t be a silent ride home.

“We’re not getting out of this car until you tell me how you got that wound,” Donna said as she put the child locks on.

“Then we’re gonna be here awhile,” I said, wishing I still had my fries. I didn’t mean to be rude to Donna, but no one could know my secret, especially my sort of mother figure. The three of us hadn’t moved from the parking lot. 5 minutes passed, then 10. As we neared 15, Felicity couldn’t take it anymore and said, “She was shot!”

“Felicity!” I screamed so loud it echoed around throughout the car. Donna turned to me with a look of pure shock and asked, “What did she say?”

“Nothing, she said nothing!” Oh, I was going to kill her. I gave Felicity a look of such malice that she shrunk down in her seat.

“Shot with what, Sara?” Donna asked after a few moments of me glaring at her daughter.

“I told you, it was nothing,” I said. I really wanted to go home. So I could strangle Felicity in the privacy of our house.

“It was an arrow,” Felicity said. Donna looked confusion, until a look of realization crossed her face, “No, it can’t be,” she said. It saddened me when I saw the hurt look on Donna’s face as she realized who I was.

“It’s true,” I said, “I’m the Canary.” I expected Donna to say something, or even yell, but she just started the car and drove us home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you guys for reading!


	15. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel tells Tommy about her alter ego

“You really didn’t need to stay,” I told Tommy. I was still lying in bed while Tommy played video games in the chair.

“There’s no way I’m leaving you,” he said with a big smile. I smiled back at him and said, “Look Tommy, what Dr. Wells told you-”

“Was a shock at first, I’ll admit. But hey, we’ve all got secrets, right?”

“That’s what you call it? A secret?”

“Isn’t that all it is?” I gaped at him. For over a year I’d thought of this as a double life, a whole other side of me, and Tommy was calling it a secret!

“I mean, I don’t know. Don’t you have any questions, or something more?”

“Oh I have them,” he said, “I just wanted to wait until you were ready.”

“I’m ready now,” I said as I pulled myself into a sitting position, “Ask away.” An excited look crossed Tommy’s face as he said, “Oh thank God! I have so many! So, first of all, how do you do the scream thing? And where’d you learn to fight? Oh, and how are you so good at keeping this secret?!”

“The scream came from the particle accelerator. When it exploded, I was screaming for my sister. The matter from the accelerator amplified my vocal cords. At first I couldn’t control it, so they made me the choker to help with that. And as for the fighting, I’ve been taking self defense since I was eight years old. Cop Dad. But I’ve been meeting with someone to get better. What makes keeping this secret kind of easy is that I’m only ever The Black Canary at night. It doesn’t get in the way of anything at school, and my Dad thinks I’m doing Independent Study here, so if I need to step out for a bit, he’ll know where I am.”

“Nice, Laurel,” he said, “Does anyone else know besides me and the people here?” I shook my head, “You’re the first person from home who knows.”

“Awesome,” he said, and I laughed before I ended up yawning.

“Hey, go back to sleep,” he said, “You’re temperature is still really high.” The monitor at my bedside said I was at 102.8, though I actually felt really, really cold.

“Tommy, can you ask if they have more blankets?” I asked.

“I am your nurse,” he said, “I’ll be right back.” He left the room and I laid down to get more comfortable. The clock on the wall said that it was only 7:45. I could rest for a little bit more and then make it home by 11. I’d explain to my Dad that I was sick. He’d be fine with that. Tommy came back with a nice fluffy blanket and placed it on top of me. I was still a little cold, but the blanket helped a lot. It was so comfortable.

“Go back to sleep,” Tommy said, “We can leave when you’re ready.” I nodded, and my eyes closed. I was instantly asleep when that happened.

By the time I’d woken up, it was 11. Dr. Wells had unhooked me from the IV, given me some antibiotics, and told me I needed to come get the cast removed in six weeks, and that I was benched from being The Black Canary until them. I wanted to argue, but Tommy had already been ushering me out the door before I could get the first word out.

“If you kept being the Black Canary, people would suspect it was you. Especially because my name’s on your cast,” Tommy said as I got into the passenger seat. I looked at my cast and saw “Tommy Merlyn” on there in big, loopy letters.

“Aww, thank you,” I said as he got behind the wheel. He pulled out of the lot, and we were speeding so fast, the 2 hour drive took 90 minutes. It was 12:45 by the time we made it to my driveway.

“Tommy, how are you going to get home?” I asked as I got out of the car, Tommy holding the bag with my medicines.

“I’ll call my car service,” he said. I was about to laugh, because I thought he was kidding, then I remembered he wasn’t.

“You don’t have to stay,” I said as I fumbled to get the key through the lock. Tommy took it and unlocked the door for me.

“I just want to explain to your Dad what happened. So he doesn’t get mad that you’re coming home so late,” he said. I heard footsteps and expected it to be my Dad, but it was just Sara.

“You’re back!” she said, “Hi Tommy!”

“Hello,” Tommy said as he placed my medicine on the counter. Felicity came downstairs too and said, “Hey, Laurel’s back!” Sara and Felicity looked really happy, but I didn’t know why.

“Laurel, is that you?” Donna asked as she came downstairs. She let out a sigh of relief and wrapped me in a hug before pulling away, looking at my state and going, “Oh Lord.”

“Yeah, I fell down the stairs at school. I had a bad fever and I wasn’t watching my step. I’m so sorry to have worried everyone.” Tommy nodded, “We were walking to class together and she was so out of it. I even tried to catch her. I just wasn’t fast enough.”

“Well I’m just glad you’re home safe,” Donna said, “You’re really warm. Let me go get a thermometer. And you two, bed. Now.”

“But we want to sign Laurel’s cast,” Felicity said. Donna sighed, “Sign the cast then go upstairs.” She then left to get the thermometer, and Felicity pulled a black permanent marker out of the drawer. I didn’t think they were serious. 

“I wanna go first,” Sara said as she took the marker from her. She pulled the cap off and said, “So, what should I put?”

“How about your name?” I suggested.

“Fine, if that’s all you want,” Sara said, and she wrote her name in big uppercase letters. Felicity signed her name a lot smaller than Sara and Tommy, and in cursive. When Donna came back with the thermometer, Tommy said that his car was here.

“See you later Tommy,” I said, not sure if I’d be in school tomorrow. I still felt like crap. Once he was gone, Donna stuck the thermometer in my mouth. She pulled it out and gasped, “103! Why were you even in school today?! No wonder you didn’t notice the stairs.”

“I’m just gonna...go upstairs,” I said, grabbing the bag with my medicine.

“Get some rest sweetheart, I’ll come check on you in the morning,” Donna said, voice softening. I gave her a smile before walking to my room. I placed the antibiotics on my bedside table, and jumped on my bed. It was a little hard to get comfortable with the cast.

“Hey sis, you awake?” a voice whispered. I turned to the door and saw Sara, “Yeah Sara, come on in.” She entered the room and jumped on my bed next to me, like she used to do when she was really little.

“You probably shouldn’t get too close. You’ll get sick too.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” Sara said. We sat in silence for a bit until Sara went, “I’m sorry Laurel. For all the secrets.” Well that was new.

“Where is this coming from?” I asked. She shrugged, “I just realized, that with family, there shouldn’t be secrets.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, that if you want to talk. About anything, I’m here,” Sara said before sliding off my bed and walking out the door. I frowned. Sara never wanted to talk with me. And especially not about something as vague as anything. I got a call from Oliver, and I answered.

“Hey,” I said, “What’s up?”

“I heard you weren’t in school. What happened?” he asked with concern.

“I came to school with a fever, then fell down a flight of stairs,” I said, making a mental note to keep that story in mind when my Dad asked.

“Ugh, that sounds rough. Is anything broken?”

“Yeah, just my arm,” I said, looking over to my cast with the three signatures written on it. Sara’s and Felicity’s were in black, but Tommy’s was in neon pink, the only marker that Dr. Wells had managed to find for him. Dr. Ramon had said to come by before the six weeks since the kids would want to sign it too.

“Oh, ouch,” Oliver said, “You want me to pick you up for school? Since you can’t drive.”

“Oh yeah, sure. I probably won’t be there tomorrow, but I’ve got this thing on for another six weeks, so if you’re offering.”

“Of course. Hey, if you want, Tommy and I can bring you some soup after school. Your house is on the way.”

“No it’s not,” I said. Their homes were on the other side of town.

“We’re still coming,” Oliver said, and before I could object, he hung up. I shut my phone and placed it on the bedside table. I checked the clock. It was 1:05, and my Dad still wasn’t home. I chuckled. Maybe he was a vigilante too. On my early nights, I got home around 1:30. But it was usually 2:30 to 3. And the occasional 11s and midnights. I rested my head on my pillow, but I couldn’t sleep. I’d been in and out of sleep for the past ten hours. I was considering going downstairs and waiting up for my Dad, but I had a feeling Donna would hear me and send me back upstairs. She seemed more maternal than usual tonight. Dad was the concerned parent, while Donna only seemed to care that we were home in time. But tonight she’d acted differently. Maybe Sara and I would discuss why in one of these talks she wanted to have. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break! I've got more free time so I'll try to update more frequently :)


	16. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara realizes what she truly has in Felicity

“I didn’t tell her about the League, or anything about you, your father, or Nanda Parbat. She didn’t ask about last year. She just knows that I’m one of the canaries,” I told Nyssa the next day while she gave dagger eyes to Felicity and I.

“Have you two lost your minds?!” Nyssa asked angrily, “The Canary you call yourself is a  _ vigilante _ . You don’t just tell your family that you’re a vigilante!”

“Would you calm down?” I snapped, “She isn’t going to tell my father, and she’s promised to keep it a secret.”  
“And she will,” Nyssa said, “Until she sees you on the news getting kicked in the gut by somebody on the street. Or she sees you knock someone down until they can’t get up and she realizes she doesn’t feel safe with you in the house.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” I said, but with doubt. Donna wasn’t my Mom. She didn’t have to stick by me if I screwed up.

“I pray it will not,” Nyssa said before turning on her heel and walking away.

“You know that wouldn’t happen, right?” Felicity said after a few moments, “Mom won’t tell you to leave, and she won’t take me away either.”

“I don’t really care. It’s whatever,” I said, “Let’s go to class.”

I slid into my room at around 3 that morning. I almost wasn’t smooth enough and I nearly crashed onto the ground. As I turned my light on, I nearly screamed when I saw Donna sitting on the bed. I was glad it was just her since I was wearing my suit.

“So it is true,” she said as she took a look at me.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked in frustration as I kicked my boots off.

“I had to see it for myself,” Donna said. I walked into my closet and shut the door so Donna wouldn’t come in. I slid my suit off and placed it in my new hiding place. One of the shelves in my closet was hollow and it fit right under it. I put some pajamas on and came out of the closet.

“You can go now,” I said when I saw Donna still standing by my bed.

“It’s not healthy for someone as young as you to be out so late,” Donna said.  _ Oh God, _ I thought. I just wanted to go to bed.

“Yeah well I’ve been managing just fine,” I said as I sat on my bed. I wasn’t sure how I felt when Donna grabbed the covers and started tucking me in.

“Are you comfortable?” she asked.

“I’m good,” I said. Felicity said that Donna never tucked her in when she was little. Hell, my mother never did either. It felt oddly comforting.

“Alright then, you go to sleep now. I’ll wake you in the morning. You don’t need to hear the grating alarm in the morning,” she said before turning my lamp off and leaving the room. I rested my head on the pillow and fell asleep instantly.

Donna had been way too nice for someone who’d just found out their stepdaughter was a vigilante. She brought me my favorites for dinner, she covered for me with my Dad, she was tucking me in every night, it was weird! What was the most unsettling was how she was paying more attention to me than Felicity or even Laurel. Like I was the only kid in the house!

“God why didn’t you tell me your Mom was such a hoverer?” I asked Felicity as we found our seats in Spanish.

“Because she’s not,” Felicity grumbled. I frowned at the bitterness that was present in her tone, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she said as she sat down. I frowned at her, and wanted to talk more, but the teacher came in and started class before I could. We got into groups, and Felicity turned to the person on her left instead of to me, so I was stuck with Manny Jenkins, who thought Spanish was just putting an o at the end of every word.

“Hey, hey wait up!” I called after class ended as Felicity walked away from me. I broke into a run to catch up with her and asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Just leave me alone, Sara,” she said. My persistence was what caused me to keep going after her, even though it was probably wise I didn’t.

“Please talk to me,” I said, “If it’s because your Mom’s been hovering over me, I’ll tell her to back off. I’ll tell her today.”

“For fucks sake Sara, you can’t fix everything!” she snapped, her voice rising so high that I, the international assassin, shrunk away from her.

“I can fix this,” I argued, “Just tell me what to do.”

“I did! I told you to leave me alone,” Felicity said, and since she wasn’t really paying attention, when she turned, she ended up crashing into Melissa Hawkins. She was in the grade above, and she was two times the bitch I’d been.

“Excuse you midget,” she said in a harsh tone to Felicity. She was walking away when I made the decision to raise my voice and go, “Don’t talk to her like that!”

“What did you say to me?” she asked.

“I said you can’t talk to her like that,” I said as she took a step towards me. This girl had about a foot on me, but she didn’t scare me.

“Who do you think you are?” she asked me.

“I’m Sara Lance, though I doubt you’ve heard of me,” I said, even sticking out my hand in the way of a mock greeting.

“Oh you little bi-” Melissa started, but was cut off when someone asked, “Hey, what’s going on here?” It was my sister.

“These two losers were just leaving,” Melissa said as she shoved me. A look of anger crossed Laurel’s face as she asked, “Excuse me, what was that?”

“Oh no,” I murmured as Laurel walked up to the girl, “You want to repeat that?”

“I said, that your sister, is a big,  _ fucking _ loser!” Melissa said.

“Yup, that’s what I thought,” Laurel said before shooting her leg out and kicking Melissa Hawkins right in the hip. Laurel twirled and landed back on her two feet, still holding her books in her one good arm. I admired that.

“You bitch!” Melissa cried from the ground. Oliver entered the hallway, walked up to them, and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Tommy said, “Laurel, we should go.”

“Hey, what happened?” came the voice of Melissa’s even more pigheaded boyfriend. Melissa pointed a dirty finger at my sister and her two friends. Her boyfriend and his friends walked over to Laurel, Tommy, and Oliver and I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Felicity, go into a classroom and stay there,” I said, lowering my voice. Felicity seemed to have a gist of what was about to happen so she nodded and slid back into the Spanish classroom. Melissa’s boyfriend had made it to Laurel, but Tommy blocked him before he could get within a foot of her.

“Back off man,” he said, “It was a simple misunderstanding.”

“Fuck off Merlyn! No one asked you!” he snapped, pushing Tommy to the ground. Tommy got back up and punched him square in the jaw. That was when things got ugly. He went at Tommy, and Oliver got into the middle of them to pull them apart. Laurel threw her books on the ground and used her one arm to fight off the rest of the football players who were trying to get to Tommy. A pissed off Melissa was heading towards Laurel, so I slid my backpack off and launched myself at her. We crashed into some lockers, and I almost screamed when my hurt leg smashed very hard into a locker door. Melissa kicked me off of her in my moment of pain and I skittered on the ground. Now that I was angry, I actually fought her. Melissa clearly did not know how to fight, because it only took about two kicks for her to be on the ground shrinking away from me.

“Who’s the loser now?!” I asked in triumph. Oliver, Laurel, and Tommy were still fighting most of the football team. I did see one of the guys almost knock Oliver down until he was hit in the head with a Spanish textbook. My eyes widened when I saw Felicity holding it. The guy who’d fallen was Melissa’s boyfriend, and the captain, so the team took that as a sign of a retreat. He helped Melissa to her feet and they left, leaving Oliver, Tommy, Laurel, Felicity, and I alone in the hallway.

“That was epic!” Tommy exclaimed when it ended. Laurel and Oliver both started to laugh after he said that, and it wasn’t long until Felicity and I joined them.

“Did you see Melissa’s face when you asked ‘Who’s the loser now?’” Laurel asked me. I nodded with a smug grin and said, “Yup. Priceless.”

“Hey, I’m sorry I was short with you before,” Felicity said as she walked up to me. I smiled at her and said, “And I’m sorry I haven’t been noticing your feelings. I don’t want you to think I don’t have your back,” Felicity gave me a warm smile and I asked, “So, we good?”

“Oh definitely,” she said, and we hugged, with Oliver, Laurel, and Tommy all going, “Aww,” in the background. As Felicity and I pulled apart, the five of us were about to go to our next class when a stern voice went, “You kids have some explaining to do.” It was the principal.

“They started it!” Felicity exclaimed, and I just burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading!


	17. Laurel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is punished for the fight at school

I’d never been sent to the office before. Not once in my entire educational career. And now, in my last year, I was about to be suspended. This was not good. All that glory I’d felt earlier was gone, and I was ready to beg. I was sitting between Oliver and Tommy, trying not to hyperventilate, not that it mattered, since they could both see the panic on my face.

“Just calm down,” Oliver said, “My Dad will sweet talk them into letting us go.”

“Maybe he can get you out of this,” I said, “But I started the fight by hitting Melissa. They’re gonna see that on the cameras.”

“No, Melissa started the fight by mocking us,” Sara said from where she and Felicity were sitting across from us, “Speaking of Melissa, how come she and those other jerks aren’t here with us? They fought too!”

“The props they get from playing football,” Oliver said. Oliver had quit the team to focus on studies more this year. I was pretty sure I’d convinced him, “The school couldn’t tarnish their reputation by benching almost an entire team.”

“Well that’s stupid,” Felicity grumbled.

“Yeah, well it’s how they are,” Oliver said, “And I’m about to use privilege to make sure we aren’t suspended, so keep your voice down about that.” Moira Queen entered the office less than a minute later and said, “2 months without getting into trouble. I’m impressed.”

“Where’s Dad?” Oliver asked, making no comment.

“Oh he is not coming. I’m not letting him sweet talk the principal into letting you get out of any trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. You’re almost eighteen years old. It’s time you took responsibility for your actions.” The five of us exchanged panicked looks as our ticket out of trouble was snatched away from us. Tommy offered no help either.

“Malcolm’s in Paris,” he said after Moira went inside to talk with the Principal, “He won’t be doing us any favors.” We sat in silence for a bit until Dad came to the door. I avoided the stern look he gave me. The secretary saw him and knocked on the door. Dad went into the room, leaving us alone with the secretary as she typed notes.

We were all suspended for the rest of the week. It had to go on our records, and every school we applied to had to know. While part of me was upset that I’d been suspended, another part of me was still feeling the thrill from the fight. It had felt so good to have my sisters and my best friends by my side. Sometimes it was lonely to fight alone. The car ride home was so silent that Sara and Felicity had ended up falling asleep. They were woken up by the jolt of the car going into the driveway. My Dad parked and helped me with my backpack since there were some books that didn’t fit that I had to hold in my arm.

“Do you want to explain what happened back there?” Dad asked once we were inside.

“Those guys were jerks,” Sara said, “They got what they deserved. I’d do it again.”

“Not helping your case,” he said, and Sara shrugged.

“She isn’t wrong Dad,” I said, “That girl started it, then all her friends escalated it. We were just defending ourselves.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come half of them had to see the nurse while you all are fine?” Triumph crossed Sara’s face when she asked, “Wait, seriously?! That’s awesome!”

“No! It is not!” Dad snapped at her. I didn’t say anything, but I agreed with Sara. There’d been five of us against about 15 boys plus Melissa. And we’d won! I cast a look at Felicity and saw the same look of pride on her face, “Do any of you regret what you’ve done?”

“Nope,” Sara said, as I responded with, “Not really,” and Felicity said, “I regret nothing.”

“Just, just go to your rooms!” Dad said, after realizing that there was no way that he was going to get through to us. The three of us went upstairs, and before we went into our respective rooms, I got a text from Tommy.

“He says all of us should check YouTube,” I said. The three of us quietly went into my room and I kept the volume low on my laptop as I went to YouTube.

“Oh my God,” Felicity said when we saw the Trending and noticed that a video taken of us fighting the football team and Melissa was on there. I clicked on it, and we all watched. It was so awesome! Oliver had one guy in a headlock and Tommy grabbed his legs before they both tossed him into other teammates like they were bowling pins. Sara effortlessly had Melissa on the ground, afraid of her, and Felicity bashed that textbook into that guy’s head like it was nothing. And then there was me. Fighting with all of them, it made the whole thing so worthwhile. I knew we were in a lot of trouble, but I wouldn’t change today. Tommy was right. It truly had been epic.

“So many people want to sign your cast,” Sara said with a laugh as she scrolled through all the comments. I gave her a smile. Sara and I had been getting along a lot better than usual. And I was loving it. It was then where I made a decision. I didn’t want to be suspicious of her anymore. Yes, she’d been gone for a year. But she’d tell me about it when she was ready. I was sure of it. But for now, I just wanted my sister. Both of them.

“I love you guys,” I told them. Sara gave me a confused look, but it faded into a smile as she said, “Yeah, I love you too.”

“Me too,” Felicity said before wrapping her arms around me. We both gave Sara a look who sighed and went, “There’s been too much hugging today.” But she still joined in, both of them being careful around my casted arm. This was what my Dad walked into, and instead of chastising us for not listening to him, he just let us be. And everything was okay.

I spent the first day of my suspension going back to S.T.A.R. Labs. I was technically grounded, but Dad was at work, and I convinced Donna to drive me by saying it was important to my education and they were still letting me come during my suspension so that was big. I told her to come back at six before going inside. This was my first time back at S.T.A.R. Labs since breaking my arm, though not much had changed.

“Dr. Wells? Dr. Ramon?” I called out. I heard footsteps and Dr. Ramon came in and said, “Oh Ms. Lance, what are you doing here? I thought you had school.”

“It’s a long story,” I said, “I’m here to help for the day, if you need it.”

“Well, I can never say no to more help. Come on back with me. I’ll check your vitals to make sure you’re in okay shape.” We went to the back room, and on the way there, I saw my Black Canary suit and Canary Cry encased in two different displays. They kept it here so I wouldn’t be tempted to go out with a broken arm. Next to it was a smaller red suit.

“What’s that?” I asked Dr. Ramon.

“Also a long story. I’ll tell it to you during your check up.” He took me to the exam room and checked my temperature, which was at a safe 98.6, and then he did a scan of my body to make sure all my other wounds had healed.

“Now, on the subject of that red suit,” Dr. Ramon said as he began to check my heart rate, “It belongs to Barry. He’s doing vigilante work here like you’ve been doing in Starling.”

“Seriously? He’s only 14!” I exclaimed.

“And you’re only 17. You’re both children in my eyes,” Dr. Ramon said before removing his hands from my pulse and writing a note of it.

“I’ll be 18 in a few months,” I mumbled.

“And you’ll still be in high school,” he said. 

“She isn’t right now,” came the voice of Dr. Wells as he came in, “Ms. Lance, it is 9 AM on a Tuesday. You should be in school.”

“Oh, it’s a long story,” I said.

“I just told you mine,” Dr. Ramon said, “What happened?” I sighed and said, “These kids were being mean to Sara and Felicity, so my friends and I kinda went off on them and we all kind of got suspended.”

“Ms. Lance!” both doctors said in shock.

“Don’t Ms. Lance me,” I said, “They’re my sisters, people were being mean to them. I don’t regret a single bit of it.”

“Hey look, it’s on YouTube. I’m gonna like it!” Dr. Wells said with excitement as he found it on his tablet. I laughed and Dr. Ramon rolled his eyes.

“How long are you suspended for?” he asked.

“The rest of the week. I go back on Monday,” I said.

“Well, until then, we should probably take advantage of the fact that we have more time to work with you. The video shows that you can still fight. We could do some training, find a way to get you back out there earlier.”  
“Really?” he nodded, “That’s awesome!”

“And in the future Ms. Lance, please try to avoid getting into trouble at school. The young children here look up to you. Don’t encourage this behavior.”

“Of course not,” I said. We finished the check up and spent the rest of the day engaging in exercises that only involved the use of my left arm. When the kids came, Barry showed me his suit, and the kids signed my cast. By the time Donna came to pick me up, I was more exhausted than I was when I actually went to school, but I was glad I had something to do during the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my prologue! Let me know what you guys think! Chapter 1 will be up soon!


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